ACLU Looks to Dismantle Ohio Election Integrity Law
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
As President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans seek to protect election integrity at the federal level with the SAVE America Act, Ohio is fighting its own battle.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union, representing the League of Women Voters of Ohio and CAIR-Northern Ohio, filed a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose over its new Ohio election integrity law.
SB 293 was signed into law last December by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and is set to go into effect next month. SB 293 uses citizenship data to purge suspected noncitizens from voter rolls.
But the ACLU claims that the law disenfranchises voters if they are purged from the voter rolls without ample time to correct issues.
It’s a lawsuit the secretary’s office claims is “frivolous.”
“Frivolous and unfounded lawsuits are nothing new for these groups. We are confident the legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly complies with federal law,” Ben Kindel, press secretary for LaRose, told The Daily Signal.
Liberal activists at it again…. Must be an election year!
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 13, 2026
“SB 293 directs Ohio’s secretary of state to systematically check and compare state voter registration data with the citizenship records of the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. Individuals flagged under these citizenship-check requirements will have their voter registrations cancelled without prior notice or any opportunity to respond. These purges will take place at least once a month, continuing right up through elections,” League of Women Voters Ohio stated in a press release.
League of Women Voters Ohio claims the law is “problematic” because data is “outdated,” purging goes up to the eve of elections, and the law lacks “enough protection to ensure wrongly removed voters will be able to fix their registration in time to vote.”
“Once a green card holder goes through the naturalization process, they’re a citizen, and thus eligible to vote. But if they don’t update their driver’s license—which are valid for four to eight years, and new citizens aren’t required to update—according to the state of Ohio they still look like a noncitizen,” the Ohio Capital Journal also explained.
LaRose posted to X on Wednesday urging voters to act promptly if they’re asked to update or verify their information.
Accurate voter rolls matter, and I’m proud that we take it seriously in Ohio.
If your board of elections asks you to update or verify your info, it’s important that you respond promptly! If you don’t, it may impact your ability to have your vote count in future elections.…
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 18, 2026
“Instead of welcoming new voters who have gone to great lengths to participate in our democracy, SB 293 creates an unnecessary, discriminatory hurdle for naturalized citizens to cast their ballots,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Most Ohioans believe that democracy works best when we can all participate freely and fairly. That’s why we’re headed to court—to ensure that all eligible …
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
As President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans seek to protect election integrity at the federal level with the SAVE America Act, Ohio is fighting its own battle.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union, representing the League of Women Voters of Ohio and CAIR-Northern Ohio, filed a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose over its new Ohio election integrity law.
SB 293 was signed into law last December by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and is set to go into effect next month. SB 293 uses citizenship data to purge suspected noncitizens from voter rolls.
But the ACLU claims that the law disenfranchises voters if they are purged from the voter rolls without ample time to correct issues.
It’s a lawsuit the secretary’s office claims is “frivolous.”
“Frivolous and unfounded lawsuits are nothing new for these groups. We are confident the legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly complies with federal law,” Ben Kindel, press secretary for LaRose, told The Daily Signal.
Liberal activists at it again…. Must be an election year!
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 13, 2026
“SB 293 directs Ohio’s secretary of state to systematically check and compare state voter registration data with the citizenship records of the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. Individuals flagged under these citizenship-check requirements will have their voter registrations cancelled without prior notice or any opportunity to respond. These purges will take place at least once a month, continuing right up through elections,” League of Women Voters Ohio stated in a press release.
League of Women Voters Ohio claims the law is “problematic” because data is “outdated,” purging goes up to the eve of elections, and the law lacks “enough protection to ensure wrongly removed voters will be able to fix their registration in time to vote.”
“Once a green card holder goes through the naturalization process, they’re a citizen, and thus eligible to vote. But if they don’t update their driver’s license—which are valid for four to eight years, and new citizens aren’t required to update—according to the state of Ohio they still look like a noncitizen,” the Ohio Capital Journal also explained.
LaRose posted to X on Wednesday urging voters to act promptly if they’re asked to update or verify their information.
Accurate voter rolls matter, and I’m proud that we take it seriously in Ohio.
If your board of elections asks you to update or verify your info, it’s important that you respond promptly! If you don’t, it may impact your ability to have your vote count in future elections.…
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 18, 2026
“Instead of welcoming new voters who have gone to great lengths to participate in our democracy, SB 293 creates an unnecessary, discriminatory hurdle for naturalized citizens to cast their ballots,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Most Ohioans believe that democracy works best when we can all participate freely and fairly. That’s why we’re headed to court—to ensure that all eligible …
ACLU Looks to Dismantle Ohio Election Integrity Law
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
As President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans seek to protect election integrity at the federal level with the SAVE America Act, Ohio is fighting its own battle.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union, representing the League of Women Voters of Ohio and CAIR-Northern Ohio, filed a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose over its new Ohio election integrity law.
SB 293 was signed into law last December by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and is set to go into effect next month. SB 293 uses citizenship data to purge suspected noncitizens from voter rolls.
But the ACLU claims that the law disenfranchises voters if they are purged from the voter rolls without ample time to correct issues.
It’s a lawsuit the secretary’s office claims is “frivolous.”
“Frivolous and unfounded lawsuits are nothing new for these groups. We are confident the legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly complies with federal law,” Ben Kindel, press secretary for LaRose, told The Daily Signal.
Liberal activists at it again…. Must be an election year!
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 13, 2026
“SB 293 directs Ohio’s secretary of state to systematically check and compare state voter registration data with the citizenship records of the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. Individuals flagged under these citizenship-check requirements will have their voter registrations cancelled without prior notice or any opportunity to respond. These purges will take place at least once a month, continuing right up through elections,” League of Women Voters Ohio stated in a press release.
League of Women Voters Ohio claims the law is “problematic” because data is “outdated,” purging goes up to the eve of elections, and the law lacks “enough protection to ensure wrongly removed voters will be able to fix their registration in time to vote.”
“Once a green card holder goes through the naturalization process, they’re a citizen, and thus eligible to vote. But if they don’t update their driver’s license—which are valid for four to eight years, and new citizens aren’t required to update—according to the state of Ohio they still look like a noncitizen,” the Ohio Capital Journal also explained.
LaRose posted to X on Wednesday urging voters to act promptly if they’re asked to update or verify their information.
Accurate voter rolls matter, and I’m proud that we take it seriously in Ohio.
If your board of elections asks you to update or verify your info, it’s important that you respond promptly! If you don’t, it may impact your ability to have your vote count in future elections.…
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 18, 2026
“Instead of welcoming new voters who have gone to great lengths to participate in our democracy, SB 293 creates an unnecessary, discriminatory hurdle for naturalized citizens to cast their ballots,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Most Ohioans believe that democracy works best when we can all participate freely and fairly. That’s why we’re headed to court—to ensure that all eligible …
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