Virginia officials have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the state to remove suspected noncitizens from voter rolls ahead of next week’s presidential election.

The request comes amid heightened scrutiny and distrust, with polls showing varying confidence in the Supreme Court’s handling of election cases.

Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin initiated the program to cross-check state records for noncitizens, but a lower court blocked it, citing risks of removing eligible voters, CNN has reported.

The legal debate focuses on the National Voter Registration Act, which restricts systematic voter roll changes close to federal elections.

Written by B.C. Begley