CONCORD – Effective immediately, student ID cards cannot be used to prove identity when registering to vote, voting by absentee ballot, or when checking in to vote on election day in New Hampshire because of Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, but Secretary of State David Scanlan is reaching out to tell students what will work for them to vote Nov. 3.
To assist student voters with navigating voter registration and voter identification requirements, the Secretary of State’s Office has produced a “Student Guide to Voting in NH” and a “Student Guide to Registering to Vote”. The Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of State’s Office are encouraging people to share these guides with any eligible voters they know who are students.
FINAL Student Guide to Registering to Vote
FINAL Student Guide to Voting in NH
The guides say you can register to vote in local, state, and federal elections in New Hampshire if you are:
- A United States citizen;
- At least 18 years old on election day;
- A resident in the town/city ward you seek to register in. There is no minimum period you are required to have lived in your community before registering.
To register to vote, you will be required to complete a Voter Registration Form provided by your local town/city clerk or supervisor of the checklist. You will also need to provide proof of your identity, age, U.S. citizenship and domicile (primary residence address). For citizenship only, your citizenship may be proven by completing a qualified voter affidavit attesting, subject to the penalties for voter fraud, that you are a United States citizen but do not possess some or all of the documents necessary to prove your citizenship. You cannot complete an affidavit to prove any of your other qualifications (identity, age, domicile).
You can register as a Democrat, Republican, or Undeclared voter.
Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters New Hampshire, said the state Legislature passed a law that they knew could disenfranchise some young voters, and failed to make sure the state could provide free government issued IDs for those who don’t drive.
“The NH DMV is not equipped to issue the non–driver IDs for voting purposes only in a timely manner. Some young voters, wanting to make their voices heard at the ballot box, will not be able to in this election, as a result of the SCOTUS ruling in support of an unnecessarily stringent election law,” Tentarelli said.
HB 323, which the legislature enacted and Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law, prohibited the use of student ID cards when registering to vote and voting in New Hampshire, but the Coalition for Open Democracy challenged the law. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph LaPlante issued a mixed ruling keeping the law as written, but said the student IDs could be used as part of other evidence to prove their identity.
Scanlan sought a stay and the U.S. Supreme Court stayed that ruling Thursday, which means that registration and identity requirements for the Nov. 3 state General Election revert to the same rules that were in effect during the Sept. 8 state Primary Election.
The Secretary of State’s Office will immediately resume radio public service announcements and begin running television PSAs informing the public that student ID cards cannot be used to prove identity.
For more information on the upcoming election, visit www.sos.nh.gov/elections.