New lawsuit says Virginia is disenfranchising college voters - especially at HBCUs

Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit in November 2025 alleging that Virginia’s voter-registration practices unlawfully block college students who live on campus from registering to vote. The complaint focuses on inconsistent address requirements used by local registrars and the resulting rejections due to missing or inaccurate dorm names and room numbers, even when an otherwise valid campus address is provided.

At several of Virginia’s HBCUs, these inconsistencies have resulted in disproportionately high rejection rates, leaving many students unaware that their registration was denied until Election Day.

Why It Matters

When a student’s application is rejected because a dorm name, building code, or mail stop isn’t formatted the “right” way or is missing elements, the student typically receives no notice — and discovers the problem only when they try to vote. And, since same-day registration in Virginia requires a provisional ballot, that by itself increases their odds of being rejected.

HBCUs appear to be affected at higher rates because more students live on campus. But the impact extends beyond any single type of institution. For young women and first-time voters across the state, these administrative barriers can function like a restriction — silently blocking eligible students from participating in elections that directly affect their lives.

Background

On November 7, 2025, the NAACP and Advancement Project filed a federal lawsuit challenging how Virginia processes voter-registration applications submitted by college students. The groups argue that:

• Local registrars use inconsistent rules for determining whether campus housing addresses meet Virginia’s residential-address requirements.
• Students’ applications are rejected for issues such as missing dorm room numbers, misformatted building identifiers, or the absence of a campus mail stop.
• Many students receive no notification that their application was rejected, leaving them ineligible to vote unless they discover the problem early enough to re-register.
• These practices violate the National Voter Registration Act, the First Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which require states to treat similarly situated voters consistently.

The lawsuit highlights several Virginia HBCUs where student registration rejection rates were significantly higher than county averages. Advocates note that HBCU campuses often use centralized mailrooms or multi-part address formats that do not neatly align with standard residential addressing — increasing the likelihood of misinterpretation by local registrars.

Virginia’s same-day registration option offers a fallback, but students who discover registration problems on Election Day must vote by provisional ballot, which is more likely to be rejected by local electoral boards. Voting-rights groups argue this system places an unfair burden on student voters, especially those navigating the electoral process for the first time.

State officials dispute the claim that the practices are unlawful, but acknowledge inconsistencies across localities. The lawsuit will move forward into 2026, with potential implications for how colleges guide students through registration and how registrars evaluate campus addresses statewide.

Things to Know

Registrar: In Virginia, a registrar is an appointed election official who reviews local voter-registration applications, verifies addresses, and maintains the voter rolls for each city or county.
HBCU: Historically Black College or University, founded before 1964, with the mission of educating Black students in an environment committed to access and equity.

Resources

Reuters - NAACP sues Virginia officials, accusing them of disenfranchising student voters
Virginia Mercury - Civil rights groups accuse Virginia officials of illegally blocking campus voters