3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 25
Summary
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction stopping Ohio from demanding documentary proof of US citizenship from people registering to vote while applying for a driver’s license.
Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. said the law likely violates the National Voter Registration Act because a signed citizenship attestation is sufficient and states cannot require extra information to assess eligibility.
Oliver also ruled Ohio must offer voter registration when a driver’s license application is submitted, not only after the Bureau of Motor Vehicles approves it, because delaying that chance could reduce registrations.
The law had been amended last year by Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature amid unproven claims that noncitizens were voting; Red Wine & Blue, which sued, called the decision a win for eligible voters.
With Ohio’s registration deadline weeks away, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he disagrees with the ruling and will appeal.