Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s 17-year-old son attempted to vote twice on Election Day but was turned away by poll workers both times due to his age, officials said.
The teenager tried to cast his ballot at the Hickory precinct polling place at Great Falls Library, which is not the polling place assigned to his address, election officials told NBC4.
“This morning, November 5, 2021, the General Registrar was made aware of concerns that a 17 [year-old] male attempted on two occasions to vote on election day,” the Fairfax County Office of Elections told NBC4 in a statement.
“The young man presented identification but was ineligible to be registered due to his age and was not permitted to vote,” the statement added. “The man was given a registration form and encouraged to register for future elections.”
He has not been charged with any crimes.
Fairfax County Registrar Scott Konopasek said that it does appear that the minor committed any kind of crime under Virginia state election laws. It is explicitly illegal to provide fraudulent information to vote — however, attempting to vote when not eligible and not succeeding is not clearly defined as a crime.
“The man did not vote. He made no false statements. He did not disrupt voting,” Konopasek said in a statement. “Based upon information available to me now, it appears that he committed no election offense as defined in Chapter 10 of the Elections Code.”
According to handwritten notes from the Hickory precinct chief, the teen first arrived at 9:30 a.m. on Election Day and requested a ballot. He was told he must be 18 years old to vote and was instead offered a registration — which he declined– before leaving, NBC4 reported.
He returned a half hour later at 10 a.m. and requested a ballot and was again told he was not eligible to vote and offered registration form which he again declined.
“He declined if he would not be able to vote today,” the chief wrote in his notes.
Youngkin’s campaign responded to the incident in a statement, claiming the teen’s attempts to vote were a misunderstanding of law — and also blaming the information going public on political rivals.
“It’s unfortunate that while Glenn attempts to unite the Commonwealth around his positive message of better schools, safer streets, a lower cost of living, and more jobs, his political opponents — mad that they suffered historic losses this year — are pitching opposition research on a 17-year old kid who honestly misunderstood Virginia election law and simply asked polling officials if he was eligible to vote; when informed he was not, he went to school,” the report said.
Youngkin shocked the nation when he defeated former Gov. Terry Mcauliffe in an upset in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, drawing the largest number of voters in the state’s recent history.