The Biden administration sued Virginia election officials Friday, alleging that they were violating federal law by purging voters flagged as potential noncitizens during the so-called quiet period before an election, when electoral officials are forbidden from undertaking systematic removals of voters from registration rolls. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a similar Justice Department challenge to a move by Alabama officials to initiate removals of voters from the rolls. Republicans have made the alleged threat of noncitizen voting a central focus of the 2024 campaign, though instances of noncitizens casting ballots are extremely rare. In court filings Friday, the Justice Department said that Virginia's purge program, formalized in an August executive order by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, violates the National Voter Registration Act's requirement that any mass voter removal program be completed no later than 90 days before the election.