The work of defending democracy never seems to sleep or even take a vacation! That said, while the new legislative session will not be starting up again until the beginning of next year, some of the standing committees are beginning to meet. One such committee is House Election Law. They will be holding an Executive Session on Sept. 16th at 10:00. They will be discussing and voting on whether to advance nine bills that had been retained in the committee earlier this year.
These bills aim to make voting harder for absentee voters, students and those with disabilities. For example; HB 323 targets students by removing the student and/or out of state IDs as an acceptable form of identification. HB 686 and HB 158 targets absentee voters. HB 158 would require town and city clerks make absentee ballot voter lists available for public inspection and would require the secretary of state to report on absentee ballot information. HB 686 would require a voter to show identification when making an absentee ballot request. Should go over well with overseas members of the military . . .
These bills will make voting harder, especially for absentee voters. As it is, this particular group of voters will now face more restrictive hurdles when requesting absentee ballots. The following restrictive bills SB 218 and SB 287 were passed earlier this year, have been signed into law by the governor and take effect at the end of this month. Just in time for any cities and towns having local elections in Nov.
What can you do? Take a moment to send an email to the members of the House Election Law Committee. There is also room to express your concerns, especially if you, yourself may be impacted by these proposed restrictive bills or if you know of someone else who would be.
Another excellent article, NH Bulletin Op-Ed by Ethan Underhill: New Hampshire needs to return to its tradition of practical access for voters
Many thanks for taking the time to defend democracy and the voting rights of others.