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July 06. 2012 7:49PM
Voter ID law takes effect
MANCHESTER — Town and city clerks should have an easier time complying with the state’s new Voter ID law after Gov. John Lynch let Senate Bill 1354 become law Friday without his signature.
The new law requires voters to present a valid photo ID to vote at the polls or be photographed and sign an affidavit saying they are who they say they are.
The bill lets election officials use an existing form called a challenged voter affidavit instead of a new form to be called a qualified voter affidavit in an earlier version of the law.
“The challenged form is something we’re familiar with; we’ve been using it a long time,” Nashua City Clerk Paul Bergeron said Friday.
“I think it’s just a small way of helping to simply the implementation of the new process,” he said.
Lynch vetoed the first version of the Voter ID law, and the House and Senate overrode the veto.
The change to allow voting officials to use the familiar form came June 27 as the veto was overturned.
“It’s disappointing the governor didn’t have the wisdom to sign this good bill into law,” House Speaker William O’Brien said in a statement.
“He said he had issues with voter ID, we fixed them, and he still chose not to show his support,” O’Brien said.
But Lynch also said in a statement, “New Hampshire has a history of clean elections and high voter participation.”
“Beginning in September 2013, this bill eliminates the ability of citizens to use state agency, municipal and valid student IDs, and it also eliminates the ability of local election officials to recognize other valid photo IDs,” Lynch said. “These more restrictive photo ID provisions are wrong for our citizens, wrong for New Hampshire and will unnecessarily restrict citizens’ access to their constitutionally protected right to vote. That is why I vetoed SB 289, and why it should be a priority for the next Legislature to revisit this bill.”
The new law also requires preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice. A Justice spokesman did not reply to a request for comment Friday.
New Hampshire — the only Northern state affected — and 15 other states are subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which seeks to eliminate discriminatory voting practices that bar or hinder voting by minorities.
The Department of Justice has 60 days to make its determination, which could mean the decision comes a couple of weeks before the Sept. 11 primary.
Meanwhile, Nashua Clerk Bergeron said, “We’re going to make sure all our election officials are familiar with this and that they are following the procedures that are required by the state correctly and across the board.”
For this year, Bergeron said, voters can use a broader range of valid photo IDs including ones issued by towns and cities, but come 2013, he said, only valid certain state or federal ID cards will be acceptable.
On the Net:
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2012/HB1354.html
dpaiste@unionleader.com
The new law requires voters to present a valid photo ID to vote at the polls or be photographed and sign an affidavit saying they are who they say they are.
The bill lets election officials use an existing form called a challenged voter affidavit instead of a new form to be called a qualified voter affidavit in an earlier version of the law.
“The challenged form is something we’re familiar with; we’ve been using it a long time,” Nashua City Clerk Paul Bergeron said Friday.
“I think it’s just a small way of helping to simply the implementation of the new process,” he said.
Lynch vetoed the first version of the Voter ID law, and the House and Senate overrode the veto.
The change to allow voting officials to use the familiar form came June 27 as the veto was overturned.
“It’s disappointing the governor didn’t have the wisdom to sign this good bill into law,” House Speaker William O’Brien said in a statement.
“He said he had issues with voter ID, we fixed them, and he still chose not to show his support,” O’Brien said.
But Lynch also said in a statement, “New Hampshire has a history of clean elections and high voter participation.”
“Beginning in September 2013, this bill eliminates the ability of citizens to use state agency, municipal and valid student IDs, and it also eliminates the ability of local election officials to recognize other valid photo IDs,” Lynch said. “These more restrictive photo ID provisions are wrong for our citizens, wrong for New Hampshire and will unnecessarily restrict citizens’ access to their constitutionally protected right to vote. That is why I vetoed SB 289, and why it should be a priority for the next Legislature to revisit this bill.”
The new law also requires preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice. A Justice spokesman did not reply to a request for comment Friday.
New Hampshire — the only Northern state affected — and 15 other states are subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which seeks to eliminate discriminatory voting practices that bar or hinder voting by minorities.
The Department of Justice has 60 days to make its determination, which could mean the decision comes a couple of weeks before the Sept. 11 primary.
Meanwhile, Nashua Clerk Bergeron said, “We’re going to make sure all our election officials are familiar with this and that they are following the procedures that are required by the state correctly and across the board.”
For this year, Bergeron said, voters can use a broader range of valid photo IDs including ones issued by towns and cities, but come 2013, he said, only valid certain state or federal ID cards will be acceptable.
On the Net:
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2012/HB1354.html
dpaiste@unionleader.com