CINCINNATI — A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated an Ohio law requiring residents to present documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote at the state’s motor vehicle offices, a win for the state’s Republican government ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
In a 2-1 decision late Wednesday, the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused a lower court ruling that had blocked the law. The panel said the advocacy groups that challenged the law likely lacked standing, and that the lower court’s order came too close to the election.
The state’s 2025 law had been blocked in August by Cleveland-based U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr., who granted a preliminary injunction. Oliver said that having voters attest in writing that they are U.S. citizens was sufficient for Ohio election officials to assess eligibility to register.
The ruling is part of a national push by President Donald Trump and Republican-led state governments for tighter voter registration rules, based in part on unsubstantiated claims of widespread illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens. Democrats and voting rights advocates counter that voting by noncitizens is rare, and that greater restrictions can make it harder for eligible U.S. citizens to vote.
A competitive race for a Senate seat in Ohio is considered important for Democrats’ hopes of regaining control of the Senate, adding political weight to the legal fight.
Lawyers for the advocacy groups that challenged the law, Red Wine & Blue and the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The decision is temporary, pausing the lower court’s order while the case proceeds through the courts.
Separate from the court fight, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has continued an ongoing citizenship verification effort, recently announcing the removal of an additional 75 noncitizen voter registrations from the state’s voter rolls.