Judge freezes Ohio proof-of-citizenship voter registration requirement

A federal judge blocked Ohio on Tuesday from requiring documented proof of citizenship for voters registering at motor vehicle offices, ruling the requirement is preempted by the National Voter Registration Act. U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. found it would make it harder for eligible citizens to register ahead of the Oct. 5 midterm deadline.

The provision, tucked into Ohio's transportation bill, would have blocked registration offers at BMV offices unless applicants produced a birth certificate, passport or similar document — a stricter standard than the sworn citizenship attestation used everywhere else in the state. Oliver noted Ohio couldn't show a substantial number of noncitizens have actually registered under the existing attestation system.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he'll appeal. The ruling arrives as President Trump pushes Congress for a national citizenship-documentation mandate, while South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming pursue similar state laws — one of which is already facing its own lawsuit.

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