Miyares forms election integrity unit

According to a report in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday announced the formation of an Election Integrity Unit.

Composed of more than 20 attorneys, investigators and paralegals, the unit will provide legal advice to the Department of Elections as well as investigate and prosecute violations of state election law.

“I pledged during the 2021 campaign to work to increase transparency and strengthen confidence in our state elections,” Miyares said in a statement. “It should be easy to vote, and hard to cheat. The Election Integrity Unit will work to help to restore confidence in our democratic process in the Commonwealth.”

The unit will also “work with the election community throughout the year to ensure uniformity and legality in application of election laws, and work with law enforcement to ensure legality and purity in elections.”

Virginia has 133 local electoral boards and general registrars that operate in a nonpartisan manner. However state law requires that two of the three electoral board seats are for people that belong to whichever political party is in control of the governor’s office.

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