CHESTER, PA — A new policy from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is drawing sharp criticism from voting rights advocates after the agency announced that only state and local election officials may register new citizens at naturalization ceremonies held in USCIS facilities. Nonpartisan organizations, including long-standing partners such as the League of Women Voters, are no longer permitted to provide voter registration services during the ceremonies.
The change, announced at the end of August, marks a departure from decades of collaboration between USCIS, federal courts, and civic groups that routinely helped new citizens register to vote immediately following naturalization.
Kadida Kenner, founding CEO of the New Pennsylvania Project, said the policy could create additional barriers for communities of color. “Third party, civil society organizations’ ability to do voter registration is crucial in a state like Pennsylvania that does not have true automatic or same day voter registration,” Kenner said.
Data from America Votes and the U.S. Census Voting Age Population show that registration gaps persist across racial and ethnic groups. As of 2024, 24.3% of eligible Black Pennsylvanians were not registered to vote, compared with 11.2% of eligible white Pennsylvanians. Rates were higher among Latino (39.6%), Asian American and Pacific Islander (35.6%), and Native/Other (97.4%) populations.
Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, called the decision “an attempt to keep new citizens from accessing their full rights.” She noted that League volunteers have registered hundreds of thousands of new Americans nationwide at ceremonies over the years. “When a volunteer meets a newly naturalized citizen with a voter registration form in hand, they provide them with the tools to fully participate in the election franchise,” Stewart said.
The League emphasized that its work has always been conducted in a nonpartisan manner and often filled gaps where election officials lacked capacity. Stewart warned that the new restrictions make it harder for new citizens to register, calling it “yet another intimidation tactic and attack on the immigrant community.”
While USCIS has not publicly elaborated on the reasoning behind the change, the decision comes at a time of heightened debate over voting access and election integrity. For organizations like the League and the New Pennsylvania Project, the policy represents not just a logistical hurdle, but a broader challenge to voter participation efforts in immigrant and minority communities.
Both groups said they remain committed to ensuring newly naturalized citizens are able to register and vote, even if it means finding new avenues outside of USCIS ceremonies.
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