“The Center for Election Confidence is pleased with the 6th Circuit’s common-sense decision in Red Wine & Blue v LaRose to permit Ohio to enforce its long-standing proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration during the appeals process.
As the Court recognized, changing the rules this late in the election process would create substantial administrative burdens and increase the likelihood of mistakes.
“Only American citizens should vote in American elections.”
The Federalist highlighted CEC’s joint amicus brief with the Honest Elections Project supporting Ohio’s appeal of a preliminary injunction against the state’s documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement in its bundled Bureau of Motor Vehicles licensing and voter-registration process.
In Red Wine & Blue v. LaRose, CEC, joined by HEP, filed an amicus brief urging the 6th Circuit to stay a preliminary injunction preventing Ohio from enforcing House Bill 54’s documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement in the State’s BMV process. NVRA requires states to offer voter registration to eligible individuals at the same time they apply for a driver license or state ID. The brief supports Secretary LaRose’s emergency motion for a stay pending appeal, arguing both that the district court lacked jurisdiction because the plaintiffs’ claims became moot and that the court misread Section 5 of the NVRA to displace Ohio’s authority to determine and enforce voter qualifications.
At the invitation of OH SoS Frank LaRose, CEC Chief Policy Counsel Caleb Hays addressed the 2026 OH SoS Conference, which gathered election officials from across the state in Columbus to discuss important election administration issues and developments.