A Clinton-appointed judge in Ohio is blocking the implementation of an Ohio law that requires voting registrants to provide photo ID proof of their citizenship before enrollment.
In a decision delivered on Tuesday, Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. stayed the law, citing what he saw as a conflict with federal requirements.
“The court grants plaintiffs motion for preliminary injunction ⦠from relying on House Bill 54s amendment to require any drivers license or renewal to produce documentary proof of citizenship before offering the opportunity to register to vote,” Oliver wrote.
The decision is just the latest development in the national debate over state-level voting requirements designed to prevent non-citizens from participating in U.S. elections â and how far those requirements can go without overarching federal reforms.Â
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Most immediately, the decision means that voter registrants in Ohio can once again enroll without a passport, a current drivers license, a certification of naturalization, or a birth certificate.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced on Tuesday that his office plans to appeal the decision.
“We strongly disagree with that decision, and Ive asked our legal team to file an immediate appeal. I will vigorously defend our legal authority to safeguard our voter rolls and protect the integrity of Ohios elections,” LaRose said in a statement.
In the case of Red Wine & Blue v. the Ohio Secretary of State, the court was asked to weigh whether requirements under the new Ohio law conflict with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), also known as the “Motor Voter Act.”
That law, passed in 1993 under the Clinton administration, instructs states to give voters the opportunity to register to vote using the same information they use when applying for a drivers license. The bill was originally intended to increase voter participation.
It states that “the voter registration application portion ⦠for a drivers license may not require any information that duplicates information required in the drivers license portion of the form.”
Notably, the NVRA doesnt explicitly prohibit states from requiring proof of citizenship. But because virtually all driver’s license forms ask about citizenship status, Oliver believes further proof amounts to redundancy.
He laid out his view in
