When someone becomes a U.S. citizen, one of the proudest rights they gain is the ability to vote.
But under a new policy from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), only government officials – not outside activist groups – can help new citizens register to vote at naturalization ceremonies.
And that has some liberal organizations fuming.
What Changed?
On August 29, 2025, USCIS issued a new policy alert stating that from now on, only state and local election officials – or USCIS staff themselves – can provide voter registration services at the end of naturalization ceremonies.
The change officially bars third-party groups, like the League of Women Voters or other outside activists, from showing up at these events to sign up new voters.
USCIS explained the move was meant to “emphasize the non-partisan nature of voter registration services,” and cited the agency’s responsibility to keep politics out of the process.
That’s a big shift from the past, when outside groups were sometimes allowed to help register new voters during these ceremonies – especially in big cities like Los Angeles and New York.
Why It Matters – Especially for Nevada
Here in Nevada, we’ve seen how important clean, trustworthy voter registration processes are.
With our state often decided by razor-thin margins, who registers and how they register matters a lot.
By keeping political groups out of these official government events, the policy helps make sure naturalization ceremonies stay focused on welcoming new citizens – not turning into partisan voter drives.
In fact, under the Trump administration’s executive orders aimed at election integrity, USCIS made clear that it doesn’t want the burden of vetting third-party groups to make sure they’re actually nonpartisan.
That’s a fair concern. Just because a group says it’s nonpartisan doesn’t mean it acts like it.
Critics Aren’t Happy
Not surprisingly, groups on the Left are crying foul.
Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, told NPR that the new policy is “an attempt to keep new citizens from accessing their full rights.” She called it an “intimidation tactic” and said it’s part of a wider effort to “attack the immigrant community.”
But that claim doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. The policy doesn’t prevent anyone from registering to vote.
It just makes sure it’s done by the proper officials – not partisan groups with hidden agendas.
New citizens still get the forms and information they need – right there at the ceremony – from official sources.
Nothing is stopping them from registering and voting. What’s changing is who gets access to them in that moment.
A Common-Sense Safeguard
USCIS pointed out that letting non-government groups participate created inconsistency across the country, depending on location.
Some ceremonies had outside groups. Some didn’t. That raised fairness issues.
This new policy makes it simple: no matter where you live – Nevada, California, Texas, or anywhere else – you’ll get the same process from official channels.
And that’s a win for transparency and trust.
What Nevada Voters Should Know
With 2026 elections around the corner, this policy is one more reminder of why voter integrity matters.
Nevada’s elections should be fair, secure, and transparent.
That means everyone follows the same rules – whether you were born here or just took the oath of citizenship.
Groups that want to play politics with voter registration might not like it.
But for everyday Americans who care about clean elections, this is a step in the right direction.
As Governor Joe Lombardo has said time and again, Nevadans deserve election systems we can trust.
And that starts with keeping partisanship out of official government business.
