Ohio voter ID statute unconstitutional

The U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio held Wednesday afternoon that those parts of Ohio’s new voters’ registration rules requiring naturalized citizens to provide proof of citizenship if challenged by poll workers was unconstitutional. (Opinion)

The rule in question was part of a voter identification bill enacted in May (See HB 3 §3505.20(A) (2), (3), and (4); starting on Pp. 129)

An article in yesterday’s Post indicated that the decision is believed to be the first of its kind in the country, and Judge Christopher Boyko asked that it “be disseminated to other states” as the current Ohio rule raised profiling concerns detrimental to the voting rights of naturalized citizens.


Further, the United States 9th. Circuit Court of Appeals in Phoenix, yesterday, blocked enforcement of a similar Arizona statute requiring voters to submit proof of citizenship when registering, and identification before casting a ballot. (Article and Opinion)