Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones – the Democrat who once fantasized about watching the children of a Republican opponent die in their mother's arms – has been busy getting ready for an Election Day throwdown with the federal government officials who intend to keep an eye on things.
Jones’ office, along with the Virginia Department of Elections, just issued a remarkable 10-page "election bulletin" that instructs local election officials on how to deal with federal law enforcement personnel and monitors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) who show up at polling places.
Here's what Jones et al. are advising poll workers do if the feds show up: deny them access, ask them to leave, call the local police, and document their activities. In other words, Jones plans to police the feds.
Former Republican Virginia Delegate Tim Anderson highlighted the guidance in a long X post Friday, and he noted that election officials are being told to record identifying information about federal personnel, including badge numbers, weapons, vehicles, and their movements.
Poll workers are also advised to document complaints from voters who say the presence of federal agents makes them feel intimidated. The bulletin also advises officials to consult attorneys if federal authorities issue subpoenas for election materials.
VIRGINIA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL IS PREPARING FOR A SHOWDOWN WITH FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ON ELECTION DAY. The Virginia's Attorney General and Department of Elections issued a remarkable 10-page directive to election officials. Here's what they're being told: Pages 4–5: Local registrars can deny ordinary DOJ election monitors access to polling locations. Page 7: Election officials should ask federal agents to leave polling locations and contact local police. Page 7: Document federal agents' badge numbers, weapons, vehicles, and movements. Collect complaints from voters who say federal agents frighten them. Pages 8–9: Consult attorneys about challenging federal subpoenas seeking election materials. Page 3: And while all this is happening, Virginia has eliminated the ability to challenge a voter's qualifications at the polling place. Think about what we're witnessing. The Attorney General is preparing election officials to scrutinize federal law enforcement while Virginia has eliminated a longstanding Election Day safeguard for questioning voter eligibility. The bulletin identifies no specific planned unlawful federal operation in Virginia. Federal law enforcement has legitimate authority to enforce federal election laws. State officials cannot override that authority simply because they dislike federal involvement. So what exactly is the Attorney General afraid federal investigators might discover? And why is the Commonwealth treating federal election oversight as a threat rather than an opportunity to demonstrate election integrity? Read the document yourself: https://t.co/TvhiOEOtUe
— Tim Anderson (@AssocAnderson) October 16, 2026
And here's the kicker: while Jay Jones is preparing poll workers to keep tabs on federal personnel, Virginia Democrats just eliminated a longstanding Election Day process for challenging a voter's qualifications.
HB 640, which took effect July 1, repealed the law allowing qualified voters and election officers to challenge someone they believed was ineligible to vote.
So, in Virginia, questioning a voter's eligibility is out, while keeping tabs on federal agents is apparently very much in.
Priorities.