Jones warns false voter-portal certifications may break Virginia law
Jay JonesAttorney general of Virginia
Jones says a false certification to access Virginia voter records could violate state law and asks DHS to halt unauthorized searches and preserve records.
“Users that falsely make this certification in an effort to gather protected voter information may be violating several Virginia criminal statutes.”
Original text
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did DHS direct officers to misrepresent themselves to search state voter records?
A September 2026 whistleblower disclosure alleges that personnel working on DHS's Unlawful Voter Initiative were directed to search state voter portals even where access requires the user to be the voter or an authorized representative. The published packet includes a list of state sites, an attestation example, and a training excerpt saying officers could search the sites. The excerpt does not explicitly instruct officers to make false attestations. Senators Alex Padilla and Chuck Schumer have called for an investigation and an immediate halt to the activity. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin denied that officers were given the alleged directive. The dispute is whether DHS directed officers to misrepresent their authority to obtain protected voter records.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
The published packet contains senators' allegations, a whistleblower's account, screenshots of state voter portals, and excerpts from USCIS training. The reproduced training says officers may search listed sites; it does not explicitly instruct them to make a false voter attestation.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Jones's office reproduces reporting that quotes his September 17 letter to DHS and confirms its authenticity. The letter says false voter-portal certifications may violate Virginia law and asks DHS whether its staff accessed protected records without authorization.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
A whistleblower alleged DHS officers used a Virginia voter portal that requires users to attest they are the voter or have express authorization.
After the quotation
Jones asked DHS whether its personnel accessed Virginia voter records without authorization and called for records to be preserved.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Jones objects to the alleged unauthorized access and seeks to stop it, while treating whether officers made false certifications as a matter to establish.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full caseCoons and other senators call the alleged DHS voter-portal searches alarming if true
“If true, this is just another alarming effort by the Department to use data that USCIS materials admit may be inaccurate, coupled with questionable means to potentially disenfranchise voters.”Read statement
Peters and other senators call the alleged DHS voter searches alarming
“If true, this is just another alarming effort by the Department to use data that USCIS materials admit may be inaccurate”Read statement
Mullin denies directive to impersonate voters
“That's absolutely not the directive that we put out there, and it's not even close to what we're doing.”Read statement
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Jones warns false voter-portal certifications may break Virginia law
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/3234-jones-says-a-false-certification-to-access-virginia
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The Dispute Index. "Jones warns false voter-portal certifications may break Virginia law". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/3234-jones-says-a-false-certification-to-access-virginia