The right to vote is the most important right we have as American citizens. It is our opportunity to make our voices heard, and to decide who we want to enact laws that reflect our beliefs. Many of our ancestors, and even some of us now, came to this country to have the freedom to make those choices which they weren’t allowed to have in the countries of their birth.
New Hampshire’s last election proved the integrity of our voting system. The former New Hampshire Secretary of State, who had been in office for over 40 years, was quoted as saying, “I don’t have one example to give you where a person won an election in this state who should not have won it.” In the same article, Governor Chris Sununu is quoted as saying that there has not been massive voter fraud in New Hampshire.
Even so, New Hampshire lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 418, which establishes provisional, or “affidavit” ballots, and it was signed by Gov. Sununu on June 21, 2022. While the term may seem innocuous, this law requires voters who aren’t listed on the voters rolls or don’t have photo identification with them at the polls to use a specially marked “affidavit ballot“. The process requires the voter to mail documentation verifying their identity within 2 weeks, certainly at least a challenge for military service members who are deployed overseas. It will also remove the sanctity of the secret ballot, since the ballot will have an identification number on it that can be tracked to determine how the person voted. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit challenging the legality of this law.
If New Hampshire legislators are truly worried about this tempest in their very tiny voter fraud teapot, they should advocate for New Hampshire to join ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center. ERIC gets information to states about people who have moved into or out of their states, people who have died, duplicate registration, and other information that would help keep accurate records. The cost would be offset by lower mail costs, fewer provisional ballots to process, and other expenses. There are 33 states plus the District of Columbia in ERIC. New Hampshire has so far chosen not to be one of them.
Instead of creating barriers for our state’s voters, Online Voter Registration is a way to expand voter access, yet it is another option that New Hampshire has chosen to steer clear of. As of September 2022, 42 states and the District of Columbia have decided to allow voters to register online.
Other than limiting access to voting and maintaining the Republican majority, it is unclear why New Hampshire would choose not to allow it. There are several ways to make sure the system is secure, also mentioned in the article.
Unless we work to make sure that the right to vote is not limited, we take the risk that we will lose that right. Throughout our country’s history, citizens have fought and died to protect voting rights. We can’t let their sacrifices be in vain.
