Virginia Republican Jen Kiggans backs effort to stop voting rights expansion

Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans supported an amendment to undo actions taken by the Biden administration to expand voting access. That vote could alienate Kiggans from some of her constituents who say their voting rights are being threatened by a lawsuit in Virginia Beach.

Kiggans, a Navy veteran, was elected to represent Virginia’s 2nd district in 2022, which includes all of Virginia Beach. She is up for re-election in November, facing Democratic challenger Missy Cotter Smasal.

In March 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing all federal agencies to find ways to expand access to voter registration and election information. The order stressed the importance of doing this in minority communities where voting rights have been suppressed.

Last month, Congress voted on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) proposed an amendment to prevent any of these funds from being used to fulfill Biden’s executive order. Kiggans backed that amendment.

The bill initially passed with near-unanimous Republican support. A motion to reconsider was adopted and the legislation is awaiting further action.

Kiggans vote came six months after five plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Virginia Beach claiming the city violated its charter by eliminating three at-large City Council seats. In 2023, the city adopted a system of 10 single-member districts and one at-large seat.

The change was made in response to a 2020 lawsuit that said the three at-large seats diluted the voting power of Black and Brown residents. A federal judge agreed and the city was ordered to adopt the 10-1 system.

The new lawsuit could set the stage for a fight over voting rights and representation in Virginia Beach. Kiggans willingness to uproot Biden’s voting rights plan could signal what side of that fight she is on.

Republican efforts to undo Biden’s order are nothing new. In 2022, eight Republican secretaries of state asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop Biden’s order, claiming it overstepped the federal government’s role in elections. The court case was dismissed.

A Kiggans spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story.