A federal judge in Ohio temporarily blocked enforcement of a state law that required residents to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote while applying for a driver’s license at the state’s motor vehicles offices. U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. issued the preliminary injunction on Tuesday, ruling that the requirement likely conflicts with the federal National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
Federal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Against Ohio Proof-of-Citizenship Voting Law
The decision comes weeks before the October 5 registration deadline for the fall midterm elections. The amended law was an attempt by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature and Governor Mike DeWine to crack down on unproven claims regarding voting by noncitizens. Under the blocked rule, applicants would have been required to produce documents such as a birth certificate, a passport, or a naturalization certificate.
Judge Rules Written Attestation and Federal Precedence Suffice
Judge Oliver wrote that election officials do not need documentary proof of citizenship to assess a voter registration applicant’s eligibility because a signed attestation of citizenship is enough. The judge noted that the contested provision demanded more information than necessary and created an onerous barrier that the NVRA exists to prevent.
The ruling addresses how the state processes motor-voter applications. Oliver ruled that Ohio must offer applicants the opportunity to register once they submit their driver’s license application, rather than waiting until the application is approved by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). According to the court, interpreting the statute otherwise would allow states to make registering more burdensome and could result in fewer voter registrations.
Advocacy Groups and State Officials Respond to the Ruling
The lawsuit challenging the law was filed last year by advocacy groups including the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans and Red Wine & Blue. The plaintiffs were represented by the Elias Law Group. Ben Stafford, an attorney for the plaintiffs, praised the court’s decision in a statement, emphasizing that eligible Ohioans will now have the opportunity to register to vote at the BMV without producing unnecessary paperwork.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose strongly disagreed with the ruling and announced that his office would immediately appeal. LaRose defended the state’s efforts to ensure election integrity, pointing to a past Franklin County case involving a lawful permanent resident who mistakenly voted in 2018 after being misled by a BMV employee.
Broader Political Context Surrounding Voter Registration Rules
The legal battle in Ohio unfolds amid a broader national push by President Donald Trump and Republican allies for stricter voter registration restrictions across various state governments. Proponents argue that such rules are necessary to prevent non-citizens from participating in elections, while Democrats and voting rights advocates counter that non-citizen voting is rare and that additional hurdles disenfranchise eligible American citizens.
Ohio is among a handful of states that implemented proof-of-citizenship requirements for the first time this year, alongside states such as South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, while Arizona has maintained a similar requirement for state and local elections.
