COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two voting rights organizations have filed a lawsuit challenging a controversial elections law signed in Ohio late last year.
The League of Women Voters of Ohio and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are asking a court to block parts of Senate Bill 293 from taking effect. They are represented by the ACLU of Ohio and the Campaign Legal Center.
The law, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, eliminates a four-day grace period for absentee ballots and requires the office of Frank LaRose to conduct monthly reviews of Ohio’s voter registration database to identify and remove suspected noncitizens.
The lawsuit argues the measure violates the federal National Voter Registration Act, which bars systematic voter roll removals within 90 days of a federal election. The complaint contends that monthly database reviews would inevitably fall within that restricted “quiet period.”
The groups also raise concerns about the data sources used for identifying noncitizens, including records from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database. They argue that outdated or incomplete data could result in naturalized citizens being wrongly flagged and removed from the voter rolls.
Additionally, the lawsuit challenges the law’s process for canceling registrations, arguing that voters may be removed before receiving meaningful notice or an opportunity to respond.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
