Clinton-appointed judge triggers appeal after blocking key voter citizenship law

The decision is just the latest development in the national debate over state-level voting requirements designed to prevent non-citizens from participating in U.S. elections - and how far those requirements can go without overarching federal reforms. 

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced on Tuesday that his office plans to appeal the decision.

In the case of Red Wine & Blue v. the Ohio Secretary of State, the court was asked to weigh whether requirements under the new Ohio law conflict with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), also known as the "Motor Voter Act."

That law, passed in 1993 under the Clinton administration, instructs states to give voters the opportunity to register to vote using the same information they use when applying for a driver's license. The bill was originally intended to increase voter participation.

It states that "the voter registration application portion … for a driver's license may not require any information that duplicates information required in the driver's license portion of the form."

He laid out his view in Tuesday's decision.

"As the rest of Ohio's voter registration scheme demonstrates, election officials do not need documentary proof of citizenship to assess a voter registration applicant's citizenship because signed attestation of citizenship is enough," Oliver wrote.