This op-ed was published by The Post and Courier

In November, the League of Women Voters Charleston Area took a stand. We filed a federal lawsuit with the national League of Women Voters and four other state and local leagues against the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other federal defendants.

The lawsuit challenges an abrupt rule change that bans the League of Women Voters and other nonpartisan civic groups from registering new citizens at Immigration Services-hosted naturalization ceremonies. We are proud to be part of this legal challenge.

Our complaint raises important legal claims related to the federal government’s failure to follow proper legal process and violations of our rights under the First Amendment.

But there is more at stake here, on a human level, both for League members and volunteers and for the new Americans whose journey to civic participation has just begun. Throughout its history, registering eligible citizens to vote has been a cherished public service effort for volunteers of the League of Women Voters nationwide. We have taken pride in our role, and new citizens have benefited from our commitment.

In South Carolina, there are two regional U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hubs where naturalization ceremonies are held. The office in Charleston serves multiple counties as well as parts of Georgia. For more than two decades, our local league has maintained a presence at administrative naturalization ceremonies held here to welcome and register voters.

In fact, we have been the local group most regularly committed to this work, and we have provided voter registration assistance and education to thousands of new citizens over the years.

Since spring of 2024 alone, our volunteers have attended more than 200 naturalization ceremonies to welcome and assist new citizens and their families, always working collaboratively with administrative officials on-site. In 2025, before Immigration Services’ voter registration ban, the Charleston League attended more than 125 administrative naturalization ceremonies, resulting in the registration of more than 1,200 new citizens to vote.

If history is a guide, some of the new citizens we have helped to register may eventually join our ranks to assist the next generation on this most heralded day of their journey to American citizenship.

Since the rule change was announced in late August, however, the league has been banned from all naturalization ceremonies administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. On-site voter registration must now be done exclusively by government employees; even trusted nonpartisan partners such as the league are no longer permitted.

This hinders our ability to deliver on our mission. It also presents a disadvantage to new citizens who may not otherwise be encouraged or given an opportunity to register that day, or who may not have a voice in an upcoming election if they miss a critical deadline or procedural step required to vote.

The league supports voter registration access and the role that government employees play in this work. In practice, however, the ban ignores the fact that local government election offices do not have the capacity to staff these administrative naturalization events. In recent months, ceremonies have been scheduled up to four times weekly. Our presence was previously always welcomed and appreciated.

League volunteers have always worked in coordination with election officials. Volunteers are trained on voter eligibility rules, and their work to facilitate voter engagement is straightforward. They attend ceremonies, welcome new citizens, distribute voter registration forms and offer voluntary assistance about how to fill them out.

A league representative then collects and mails or hand delivers completed voter registration forms to the appropriate county election bureaus in South Carolina or Georgia for processing. The submitted forms are checked, vetted and acted upon by government employees in full accordance with state election laws. League volunteers also distribute election-related materials and provide critical education to new citizens on voting requirements and resources.

Becoming a new citizen is a joyous milestone, the culmination of what is often a long and arduous path. Citizenship in our democracy confers both rights and obligations. All immigrants bring their own personal stories, their own reason for wanting to be recognized formally as a full participant in our democratic society.

The league has a story too: We are committed to empowering voters and defending a multicultural democracy. That's why we have taken this stand.

Cara Erickson and Jeri Cabot are co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area. 

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