Federal judge blocks enforcement of Ohio proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked enforcement of an Ohio requirement that voters show proof of citizenship when registering to vote at a motor vehicle bureau, a rule that took effect for the first time this year. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said he would immediately appeal. In a lawsuit brought on behalf of the Ohio Alliance of Retired Americans and the progressive group Red Wine & Blue by the Democrat-aligned Elias Law Group, U.S.

District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. in Cleveland ruled that the requirement appears to conflict with the National Voter Registration Act, which he said takes precedence. His injunction suspends the practice of requiring such documentation ahead of the Oct.

5 registration deadline for this fall’s midterm elections. It comes as President Donald Trump pushes Congress to pass a bill that would, among other election changes, require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Ohio is among a handful of states with proof-of-citizenship laws in place for the first time this year.

South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming also put similar requirements on the books for this year’s midterms. Arizona had one already in force for state and local elections. In South Dakota on Tuesday, the League of Women Voters and a Sioux Falls voter filed a lawsuit over that state’s new proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration.

Among their requests is that a judge force the state to accept photocopies of eligible ID forms and also to rescind guidance requiring people using certain ID types to register in person. Ohio’s requirement was added last year to its motor voter law. In his ruling, Solomon wrote that the requirement “is more than the signed attestation to U.S.

citizenship that Ohio’s other voter registration methods accept. Ben Stafford, a partner at Elias Law, said in a statement that Ohio voters would now be able to register at the BMV without the requirement to s… 5 registration deadline for this fall’s midterm elections.It comes as President Donald Trump pushes Congress to pass a bill that would, among other election changes, require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.Ohio is among a handful of states with proof-of-citizenship laws in place for the first time this year.