Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and the state Department of Elections have issued a 10-page “election bulletin” instructing local election officials on how to handle federal law enforcement and Department of Justice monitors who show up at polling places on Election Day.
The guidance tells poll workers to deny federal personnel access, ask them to leave, call local police, and document their activities. Officials are directed to record badge numbers, weapons, vehicles and movements of any federal agents present. They are also told to document complaints from voters who say the presence of federal agents makes them feel intimidated, and to consult attorneys if federal authorities issue subpoenas demanding election materials.
Former Republican Virginia Delegate Tim Anderson surfaced the bulletin in a lengthy post on X on Friday, laying out the specific pages and instructions: pages 4-5 allow local registrars to deny ordinary DOJ election monitors access to polling locations; page 7 directs officials to ask federal agents to leave and contact local police, and to document their badge numbers, weapons, vehicles and movements; pages 8-9 tell officials to consult attorneys about challenging federal subpoenas for election materials.
Anderson also pointed out that page 3 of the same document reflects a separate change in Virginia law: the state has eliminated the ability to challenge a voter’s qualifications at the polling place. That provision traces back to HB 640, which took effect July 1 and repealed the prior law allowing qualified voters and election officers to challenge someone they believed was ineligible to vote.
So as of this Election Day, Virginia election officials have detailed new instructions for scrutinizing and documenting federal law enforcement personnel, while the longstanding tool for challenging an individual voter’s eligibility at the polls has been taken off the books.
The bulletin does not identify any specific unlawful federal operation planned in Virginia. Federal law enforcement retains legitimate authority to enforce federal election laws, and that authority does not disappear because state officials object to federal involvement.
Jones has been a controversial figure in Virginia politics; he previously drew national attention over violent comments he made about a Republican opponent’s children. He is now the state’s chief law enforcement officer overseeing this directive to local election officials.
