By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
MEREDITH – New Hampshire voters went out to their polling places in huge numbers Tuesday to vote for representation at the State House and three seats in Washington, with many saying their concern for the economy was front of mind.
In the Lakes Region and other places, they found early lines, few parking spots, and a new player among the sign holders with a national effort from Turning Point Action to get out the conservative vote.
Workers and voters said in general there were smooth operations inside the polling places and an upbeat mood on a warm fall day.
Up for grabs at the end of the night were 400 seats for the state House of Representatives, 24 seats in the state Senate, the job of governor, U.S. Senator to replace retiring Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat and both of the state’s two congressional seats.
Secretary of State David Scanlan came to Meredith Community Center to observe voting and brought with him former Congressmen Charlie Bass, a Republican and Dick Swett, a Democrat who both served District 2.
The three had already visited the polls in one precinct in Franklin and at Tilton and were headed to a ward in Laconia as part of their rounds for election day. This year, they selected the Lakes Region for their rounds.
They had no issues or irregularities to report.
Several years ago, Swett and Bass were asked by the Democracy Defense Foundation if they would be willing to be bipartisan co-chairs for New Hampshire to defend the integrity of the electoral system.
They have since observed the elections in person and attended recounts together and have helped Scanlan with his message that the state’s voting system is sound and people’s votes are counted accurately here.
Bass said fair elections are essential.
“You have issues. War and peace. Scandal. The economy and all that stuff, the culture wars. But overlying all of that is the integrity and transparency of the electoral process. If that is threatened or disintegrates the country is done for,” Bass said.
He said both he and Swett are traveling around New Hampshire with the Secretary of State to support that electoral system and to say – on a bipartisan level – “that this system works well. It is not corrupt. It’s not fixed.”
It is also a state-run system which is not run by the federal government.
He said everything the three had seen so far in the Lakes Region “has been excellent.”
It is fun, Bass said, to find friendship with Swett.
“Dick and I were once mortal enemies. It was one bruiser of a campaign,” he said in 1994. “I beat him. He was a two-term incumbent” said Bass, who went on to serve in Congress for a total of 14 years.
Bass lost to Democrat Paul Hodes in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010 and then lost to Democrat Ann McLane Kuster in 2012 who held the seat until her retirement two years ago.
Scanlan said one new addition at most all of the large polling places in the state, including Meredith, was the presence of Turning Point Action, https://www.tpaction.com/vote which set up tents and tables and in some cases were blasting music, handing out stickers and food and in Wolfeboro, a man was singing.
Among those working for the effort was Lisa Broomfield of Texas.
She and her daughter and others had come to the state to knock on doors the past few days, with the focus of electing John Sununu to the Senate and down ballot candidates who are conservatives.
“One man asked if I had been paid off by Elon Musk to be here. I said ‘No sir, I was not paid off by anyone.'”
“People either love us or hate us,” she said.
In Laconia Jennifer and Ryan Nolan came to the Ward 1 voting center in Laconia with their son, Murphy.
“I always vote in the midterms,” said Jennifer Nolan. “I always vote in the local election.”
Asked if there was a particular issue that compelled them to turn out this round, Ryan Nolan asked how much memory was in the reporter’s phone.
“I think there are too many (issues) this go-round,” Jennifer said.
In Wolfeboro Anne Corson and Susan Hirshberg stood holding signs outside the town hall with Michael Parton who is running for Carroll County Commissioner and observed that there was a tremendous number of voters with things moving very well inside, remarking that the process is professionally handled each year by a seasoned team of workers.
In Laconia’s Ward 1 Moderator May Stewart said there were 2,175 registered voters before the polls opened but they had added a large number of new voters registered that day.
Outside the polls in Meredith Brian Beihl of Citizens for Belknap County told Scanlan that he was disappointed by the legislature’s decision to not let college student identification cards be a valid form of identification for voting.
“The good news is I have not seen it as being a problem. I spent time on college campuses talking with students and every indication is they are showing up,” Scanlan said. “We’ll see when the dust settles.”
A check in with the Secretary of State’s office at 5 p.m. found no issues across the state, with at least two hours to go before polls closed in most locations.