COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Donald Trump has ignited a firestorm with a new executive order that mandates proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and bans the counting of absentee ballots received after Election Day. Signed on Tuesday, the directive has thrust Ohio into the spotlight, amplifying Republican-led efforts to tighten voting laws while drawing fierce backlash from advocates who warn it could strip countless Americans of their voice at the polls.
The order aligns with a fresh push from Ohio’s GOP state senators, who rolled out Senate Bill 153 last week to enforce citizenship verification for voters. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has signaled support, noting that the state already employs similar measures but is open to further action. Meanwhile, voting rights groups are gearing up for a legal showdown, branding the move a direct attack on democracy.
Here’s what’s at stake for Ohio if the order takes hold:
What the Executive Order Unleashes
- Citizenship Proof Required: Voter registration via the national mail form now demands a U.S. passport, military ID, REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, or state ID—or other government-issued photo ID proving citizenship, paired with supporting documents. States ignoring this face losing federal election funds.
- Absentee Ballot Cutoff: No more grace period—mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day are dead on arrival, a sharp pivot from Ohio’s current four-day post-election window for ballots postmarked by the prior Monday.
- Federal Data Access: State and local election officials gain entry to federal databases to cross-check citizenship, a tool LaRose fought for last year in a lawsuit against the Biden administration.
- Paper Trail Mandate: All ballots must have a voter-verifiable paper record—already standard in Ohio.
- Election Fraud Crackdown: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is tasked with pursuing states that count late absentee ballots and forging data-sharing pacts with election officials to track fraud, intimidation, or misinformation. Non-compliant states risk losing law enforcement grants.
Ohio’s Voting Landscape
Noncitizen voting is already illegal in Ohio and barely registers as an issue, with just six indictments for illegal voting last year, including one posthumous case in Cuyahoga County. Still, Ohio Republicans have doubled down. A 2023 law slapped “noncitizen” labels on driver’s licenses and state IDs, and LaRose leveraged that to demand citizenship proof before last year’s election. The upcoming transportation budget, awaiting Gov. Mike DeWine’s pen, would require the BMV to verify citizenship before offering voter registration.
Senate Bill 153 mirrors Trump’s order, pushing for citizenship proof on state voter forms and hinting at tighter absentee rules. Ohio’s own registration form, akin to the federal version, is under review to gauge the order’s impact.
Absentee Voting in the Crosshairs
Ohio’s absentee voters could feel the squeeze. Current rules allow mail-in ballots to trickle in up to four days post-election if postmarked by the Monday before—a lifeline Trump’s order would sever entirely.