In a 2-1 ruling, the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily restored Ohio’s 2025 law requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote at state motor vehicle offices, pausing a lower-court block ahead of the November 3 midterms.
The appeals panel said the groups challenging the law likely lacked standing and that the lower court’s order came too close to the election. US District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. had issued a preliminary injunction in August, ruling that voters’ written attestation of US citizenship was enough for election officials to assess eligibility.
The ruling is a boost for Ohio’s Republican government amid a broader push by President Donald Trump and Republicans in state governments for tighter registration rules, based partly on unsubstantiated claims of widespread noncitizen voting. Democrats and voting-rights advocates say such voting is rare and added restrictions can make it harder for US citizens to vote.
