A federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio from requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices, a setback for conservative efforts to tighten voter registration rules ahead of the November midterms.
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Ohio’s law requiring proof of citizenship at Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ offices conflicts with the federal National Voter Registration Act, the court said. A preliminary injunction was granted on Tuesday.
The Ohio rules were challenged by Red Wine & Blue, a liberal activist group centered on suburban women, and the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans.
President Donald Trump has tried unsuccessfully to impose national rules requiring voters to show proof of citizenship, although there is little evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
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“Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act to reduce barriers for eligible Americans seeking to register to vote,” Ben Stafford, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement. He said Ohio’s “burdensome” proof-of-citizenship requirement “is exactly the type of government-imposed barrier that the NVRA exists to prevent.”
The office of the Ohio secretary of state, who was named as a defendant, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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