Overview
- The Sixth Circuit court, which ruled on Sept. 24, 2026, paused a lower court injunction and allowed Ohio to enforce a law that ties BMV voter registration to completing a driver’s license application that requires proof of U.S. citizenship.
- The majority rested its stay on threshold legal grounds, finding questions about the challengers’ standing and potential mootness and warning against changing election rules close to a vote under Purcell principles.
- The ruling leaves the core dispute over whether the law violates the National Voter Registration Act’s requirement that agencies collect only the “minimum” information unresolved as the appeal continues.
- Practically, Ohioans who try to register in person at BMV offices may now need documents such as a recent state license, birth certificate, U.S. passport, or naturalization papers, though registration remains available online or at other agencies without that proof.
- The decision drew praise from state Republican officials and election‑integrity groups and a sharp dissent from Judge Kevin Ritz who said the plaintiffs showed a real, recurring injury; the case could proceed on appeal or seek en banc or Supreme Court review.