2 weeks Ago
A youth voting group has filed a lawsuit in federal court in New Hampshire challenging the state’s new voter ID law. The complaint, filed Tuesday in U.S.
District Court in Concord by attorneys representing the New Hampshire Youth Movement, claims the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s first and 14th amendments and “erects severe and needless barriers for voters in New Hampshire to register to vote and cast their ballots.
” “It will prevent any individuals who are unable to produce compliant documents on election day from voting altogether -- and, as the state knows from experience, this circumstance presents regularly at the polls,” the complaint claims. “The resulting disenfranchisement and other burdens, moreover, are certain to fall disproportionately on identifiable groups -- including, but not limited to students and young people -- who are less likely to have ready access to the limited set of documents with which they must now prove their citizenship.” Starting with local town and school elections next spring, residents seeking to register to vote must present a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers to prove their citizenship.
Additionally, all voters must present a driver’s license or similar official ID in order to cast a ballot. The current system, where people can sign affidavits attesting to their citizenship, age and residency and be allowed to register or to vote without ID, will go away. Gov.
Chris Sununu signed HB 1569 into law last week. It won’t take effect until after the general election on Nov. 5.
The lawsuit asks the court to permanently block the new law from taking effect. According to the lawsuit, testimony submitted to the Legislature, as well as statements by legislators during debate over HB 1569, show that more than 700 voters were able to register to vote in 2022 by relying on the qualified voter affidavit option to prove their citizenship, and more than 1,400 people used a qualified voter affidavit to prove either their citizenship or identity in 2020. “The qualified voter affidavit has served as a critical means for thousands of voters to register and exercise their right to vote in New Hampshire, and there is no evidence that it has enabled fraudulent voting,” the lawsuit states.
The New Hampshire Youth Movement has 129 dues-paying members, and more than 3,500 people have participated in actions led by the group, the lawsuit claims. "This extreme legislation will make registering to vote harder and prevent eligible voters from casting ballots. New Hampshire is already the most difficult state to vote in, and this law further restricts citizens' ability to exercise their fundamental right," said Sayles Kasten, executive director of New Hampshire Youth Movement.
New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan is named as the defendant in the lawsuit. Gov. Sununu’s office has not responded to a request for comment on the complaint.
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