MidPointe spokeswoman Cari Hillman said the library system has processed about 8,300 passport applications since launching the service in 2016. (The service was paused for roughly 18 months during the COVID‑19 pandemic.)
“We’ve received glowing reviews,” Hillman told the Journal-News. “This is not something that we have done wrong.”
The library system has more than 180,000 registered patrons in Butler County.
According to the State Department, federal law prohibits non-governmental organizations — including nonprofit libraries — from collecting and retaining the passport execution fee.
In 2025, the department identified a “small number” of libraries that did not meet the legal criteria. A spokesperson said those ineligible facilities make up “less than one percent” of the nation’s more than 7,500 passport acceptance locations.
The department did not answer questions about why the enforcement is occurring now, given the relevant law dates to the Passport Act of 1920.
MidPointe was designated a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2024 to fundraise for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Ohio, Hillman said. The following year, it became the program’s administrator in Butler County.
Some voting‑rights groups say the ruling could have broader implications as Congress debates stricter voting requirements.
“When you do these strict voting law, voting ID requirements and proof of citizenship, where you are requiring people to obtain specific forms of ID … through specific offices, you are creating a whole brand-new chokepoint in our voting process,” said J. Collin Marozzi, advocacy director for ACLU Ohio. “It goes beyond passports at nonprofit libraries.”
Jay Smith, director of government and legal systems for the Ohio Library Council, said only two Ohio library systems were affected: MidPointe and the Elyria Public Library System west of Cleveland.
OLC Communications Director Angie Jacobson called the ruling “disappointing,” but noted many other libraries can still provide the service.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The American Library Association estimates about 1,400 mostly nonprofit libraries nationwide could be affected — roughly 15% of all public libraries — depending on how many participate in passport processing, according to the Associated Press.
“Oftentimes (the library is) the easiest, most convenient place for folks to apply for passports,” Marozzi said.
He added that potential property tax reforms in Ohio could eventually influence passport services even at municipal libraries.
“How long until local governments need to make cuts in order to meet revenue demands and passport services at municipal libraries get cut?” he said. “This is potentially the first domino.”
The Lane Libraries, the other library system in Butler County, does not offer passport services, according to Public Relations Manager Carrie Mancuso. It has locations in Hamilton, Fairfield and Oxford.
Hillman said MidPointe has appealed the decision and has contacted area lawmakers for support.
“We realize how important this is, and how popular it has been in our community,” she said. “We are doing everything we can to get this back.”
The Journal‑News reached out to the same representatives: U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R‑Troy; U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R‑Dayton and U.S. Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno.
A spokesperson for Moreno said he has received outreach and is looking into the ruling. Husted’s office said it is aware of the appeal, has been in discussions with Ohio libraries, and has shared concerns with the State Department. Davidson and Turner did not respond to request for comment.
Both Husted and Moreno support the “SAVE America Act,” a Republican‑backed proposal requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls. The bill, approved 218–213 in the House earlier this year, faces a difficult path in the Senate, where Democrats oppose its citizenship and ID requirements.
Under the proposal, Ohio residents would need to show a valid U.S. passport or a driver’s license and birth certificate when registering or updating an address. The Brennan Center for Justice said its research shows that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents.
That has alarmed some voting rights groups.
“There can’t be any sort of hand wringing when things like this happen, because now it’s directly tied to a fundamental right of American citizens,” Marozzi said.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D‑Pa.) and Pennsylvania Rep. John Joyce, a Republican, have introduced bipartisan legislation that would amend the Passport Act of 1920 to allow 501(c)(3) nonprofit public libraries to continue acting as passport acceptance facilities, according to the Associated Press. A companion bill is pending in the Senate.
Writer Jamie Dupree contributed to this report.
MORE DETAILS
You can find acceptance facilities in your community at iafdb.travel.state.gov.
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