Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N. H., signed a no-excuse voting recognition and proof-of-citizenship bill into law last month, but it will not come into effect until six weeks after this year’s vote.
The law, which passed the country’s Republican-majority House and Senate earlier this year, will involve New Hampshire citizens to offer proof of citizenship to apply for enrollment, as well as a picture ID when casting a vote. In the event a person ca n’t show a valid ID, the supervisor may “review the voter’s qualifications and determine if the voter’s identity can be verified”.
” If the supervisor of the questionnaire determines that the politician’s qualifications and personality have not been established, the vote may never be allowed to vote”, the legislation clarifies.
People can cast a ballot, go to the polls, and sign an affidavit by signing an oath claiming to be who they claim to be. Up until seven weeks after an election, citizens are not required to provide documents.
” I think this is a great act and one needed in New Hampshire given its laws allowing equal time vote registration”, Hans von Spakovsky, Heritage Foundation older legal fellow and director of the Vote Law Reform Initiative, told The Federalist. Given that it only recently passed and signed into law so close to the election, it would have been beneficial to have it in place for this election, which would have made it very difficult for election authorities to apply it before the election.
Republican State Senate President Jeb Bradley did not send the expenses, which carries a “60-day application delay”, to Sununu’s office until Sept. 9, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin. The costs will go into influence Nov. 11.
Bradley told The Federalist,” There would have been one set of election requirements for the Major and the General Election, given our later main.”
According to the New Hampshire Bulletin, Sununu had previously voiced opposition to it because it was worried that it would be implemented to close to an vote to grant authorities enough time to respond.
Looking ahead to the next ten or two, this bill will put even more faith and integrity in the electoral procedure, Sununu said in a statement.
” I’m trying to understand, you know, making certain that for the next 10, 20 times, people know that afterwards, those measures are in place. Everyone in the room agrees. You must have a voter ID. It’s stable. It’s safe”, he apparently said.
Democrats and another vote dignity deniers have reportedly assailed the rules, however, saying it will alienate voters who do not have delivery certificates, IDs, passports, or other identifying and citizenship-proving paperwork, or those who” could find those documents in time”, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin. Left-wing organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union reportedly oppose the bill.
Sununu quickly addressed those arguments, reportedly describing the rhetoric as “fearmongering”, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin
” To say that somehow people ca n’t get identification and documents, in this day and age, 2024, we do n’t do anything without documentation nowadays. That’s absolutely necessary for a variety of different situations in our daily lives. And this is no different”, he reportedly said.
New Hampshire’s narrow Republican majority in the state House, as well as the governor’s seat, are up for election this year. Sununu declined to run for re-election, and polls appear to indicate that race is a tossup.
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Breccan F. Thies is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. He previously covered issues of culture and education for Breitbart News and the Washington Examiner. He is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow and holds a degree from the University of Virginia. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
