US appeals court reinstates Ohio law requiring voters to prove citizenship

Sept 24 (Reuters) - A US appeals court has for now reinstated an Ohio law requiring residents to present ‌documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote at the ‌state's motor vehicle offices, in a boost for allies of President Donald Trump who want ​tighter voter registration rules.

• The 2-1 decision late on Wednesday by the Cincinnati-based 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals to pause a lower court ruling blocking the law was a win for Ohio's Republican government ahead ‌of the November 3 ⁠midterm elections.

• A competitive race for a Senate seat in Ohio is considered important for Democrats' hopes of ⁠regaining control of the Senate.

• Lawyers for the advocacy groups who challenged the law, Red Wine & Blue and the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, did ​not ​immediately respond to requests for comment.

• ​Trump and Republicans in state ‌governments across the country are pushing more restrictions on voter registration, based in part on unsubstantiated claims of widespread illegal voting by non-US citizens.

• Democrats and voting rights advocates counter that voting by non-US citizens is rare, and greater restrictions can make it harder for US citizens to vote.

• ‌In the Ohio case, Cleveland-based US District ​Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. in August granted ​a preliminary injunction blocking the ​state's 2025 law. He said that having voters ‌attest in writing that they are ​US citizens was ​sufficient to let Ohio election officials assess their eligibility to vote.

• In temporarily pausing Oliver's order, a three-judge 6th Circuit panel said ​advocacy groups that ‌challenged the law likely lacked standing, and that the order ​came too close to the election.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in ​New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)