USCIS Reinstates NGO Voter Registration at Ceremonies

A federal court has forced U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to let nonprofit groups help register new citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies again, reversing a 2025 restriction.

In an August 12 policy alert, the agency stated that it's temporarily reinstating its June 28, 2017 guidance on nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations at administrative naturalization ceremonies. That guidance lets these groups hand out and collect voter registration forms, and register new citizens to vote after the ceremony, when local election officials aren't there to do it.

The move follows an August 3 order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in League of Women Voters v. USCIS, which paused a stricter August 2025 USCIS policy that had limited voter registration help at these ceremonies to state and local election officials only.

What does the naturalization ceremony policy change update?

The updated USCIS policy manual states that:

• Non-governmental organizations can request to attend naturalization ceremonies to provide voter registration services
• Acceptable voter registration services include distributing, reviewing, and helping people complete voter registration forms
• Groups must submit a one-time attestation (Form N-401) to their local USCIS field office at least 60 days before a ceremony to be approved to participate on an ongoing basis
• Groups can't alter completed voter registration forms or collect or retain personal information from people who register
• USCIS can revoke a group's participation if it doesn't follow the rules

How does this affect naturalization applicants?

While the reinstated rules are effective immediately, Manifest immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar says they're temporary in nature. "Per the policy alert, these rules are only going to stay in place until the League of Women Voters v. USCIS lawsuit reaches a final decision," she says.

In the meantime, naturalized U.S. citizens may see nonprofit volunteers on-site helping with voter registration, instead of just state and local election officials. If USCIS ultimately wins the case, the stricter 2025 policy limiting this role to government election officials could return.