League of Women Voters Breaks Voter Registration Rule at Naturalization Ceremony

In a brazen act of defiance against federal guidelines, the League of Women Voters (LWV) showed up at a naturalization ceremony in Ulster County, New York, to register new U.S. citizens to vote—directly violating a recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) directive.

As reported by the Albany-based Times Union, on September 5 the Mid-Hudson Region chapter of the LWV registered 14 new citizens and handed forms to others to mail back in direct violation of the August 29 USCIS rule barring nongovernmental organizations from conducting voter registration at these events. Local Election Commissioner Ashley Torres (D) not only oversaw but approved of the LWV’s illegal involvement.

This isn't just a minor infraction—it's a calculated publicity stunt by a group with a long history of leftist activism, which masquerades behind a facade of nonpartisanship.

The new USCIS policy specifically limits voter registration at naturalization ceremonies to state and local officials because of the "burden" of verifying the nonpartisan nature of third-party groups.

LWV CEO Celina Stewart decried the policy as "voter suppression" and an "intimidation tactic,” as if naturalized citizens are not capable of registering to vote without the help of partisan nonprofit activists.

By contrast, conservative organizations like the Restoration of America Foundation offer civics education classes to help aspiring new citizens pass the citizenship test—but do not hold their hands at the county courthouse while they register to vote as if they were children.

For decades, organizations like the LWV have exploited these moments to turn what should be a unifying rite of passage into a recruitment ground for liberal voters. The new policy provides a safeguard against this type of partisan exploitation.

(READ MORE: ROAF is Helping Legal Immigrants Achieve the Dream—Becoming American Citizens)

A Record of Biased “Nonpartisanship”

The LWV’s stunt isn't an isolated incident but part of the organization’s pattern of faking neutrality and civic duty to advance its radical agenda.

Despite claiming to be a grassroots, nonpartisan organization dedicated to voter education, the LWV marches in lockstep with the Democrat Party’s globalist priorities, often outflanking even the DNC on extreme social positions.

For instance, it supports the idea of global citizenship and ending all fossil fuels. It opposes all trade restrictions, the death penalty, and the Second Amendment. It even rejects the uniqueness of women—using the term “pregnant people” instead. It has received ample funding from leftist organizations like George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Joyce Foundation, and the Tides Network. LWV’s CEO even got arrested during a protest against the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The LWV pleads innocence of political bias because it does not endorse individual candidates. Instead, it attempts to gatekeep, hosting candidate debates that serve as traps to make the more conservative candidates appear extreme and guide voters toward the more liberal candidates.

Additionally, the LWV aggressively uses its 700+ chapters across the country to tilt the scales in favor of liberal candidates before the first ballots are even cast. It does this by targeting election laws. For instance, it opposes requiring photo ID—despite the majority of Democrat voters supporting it—and supports ranked choice voting, which tilts the scales in favor of corporatist, establishment Democrats.

Using Voter Registration as Voter Recruitment

Besides its biased political leanings, the LWV is the ultimate cog in the leftist machine to use registration as a voter recruitment tool. As Restoration News has covered, over the past two decades, tax-deductible nonprofits take advantage of the tax code to recruit new liberal voters in the name of civic engagement. Liberal fundraisers have even bragged to mega donors that this tactic is more cost-effective than traditional campaigning.

The LWV is notorious for using this tactic with high school students. For instance, during registration drives in Virginia high schools during the 2023–24 school year, LWV volunteers pressured students to give up personal information—including their Social Security numbers—without asking for consent forms and without telling the students their personal information would be shared. The LWV’s training manual offers guidance to collect and store data and encourages members to create databases of voter information for future mobilization efforts.

Some states have banned or severely limited nonprofits’ ability to register any citizens because of sleazy tactics like the LWV’s, and it is no wonder the Trump administration’s USCIS has refused to allow nonprofits any roll in registering new citizens to vote at their naturalization ceremonies. New citizens do not need nonprofits to register them to vote. Local officials at their ceremonies already offer that in a truly nonpartisan manner—being legally disallowed from subtly persuading them to register one way or the other or sharing their information with partisan organizations for future mobilization.

Naturalization ceremonies should be civic celebrations free of partisan or ideological influence. The LWV's thumbing its nose at federal guidelines isn't about empowering new citizens—it's about political power. By approving of LWV’s violating federal rules, Torres is sending a message to her liberal constituents that she doesn’t recognize the validity of the Trump administration. This undermines trust in elections and the rule of law when one side plays by the rules and the other does not. The federal government must enforce the USCIS ban on nonprofits, perhaps with penalties for repeat offenders, to preserve the integrity of naturalization and elections.

(READ MORE: How the Federal Government Can Clean Up States’ Voter Rolls)