In a significant move to bolster election integrity, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued Executive Order 35, introducing a comprehensive ballot security system ahead of the 2024 presidential election. This new system, aimed at ensuring free and fair elections, has already sparked controversy among left-leaning critics.

Youngkin announced the executive order on social media, stating, “This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue. Every legal vote deserves to be counted.” The order mandates paper ballots with a “documented chain of custody,” which will be counted but not cast by machines. Importantly, the counting machines will not be connected to the internet, a measure designed to prevent potential cyber interference.

Additionally, the new system will include cross-referencing voters’ Social Security numbers and DMV records to verify identity, extending this verification process to absentee ballots as well. The executive order also targets non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, by canceling their voter registrations if found on the rolls.

“We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register,” Youngkin said in a press release.

This move is the latest in Youngkin’s ongoing efforts to secure Virginia’s voting system, following widespread concerns about election integrity that arose after the 2020 presidential election. The election was described as the “most secure in history,” yet many voters remain skeptical, particularly over issues related to vote-by-mail and other non-traditional voting methods.

Left-leaning critics are expected to challenge Youngkin’s measures, much like they did with Georgia’s Election Integrity Act of 2021, which faced fierce opposition, including a lawsuit from President Joe Biden’s Justice Department and boycotts that led to Major League Baseball moving its All-Star Game out of Georgia.

Despite the expected backlash, Youngkin’s measures are seen as a significant step toward ensuring that only legally eligible voters cast ballots in Virginia, just in time for what many are calling the most crucial election in decades.