The state’s new voter registration law is tied up in court after some college students and the League of Women Voters sued to have it struck down, saying it disenfranchised the students. As the Supreme Court considers the wording of the law, citizens ought to spend some time mulling its primary question: Should non-residents be allowed to vote in New Hampshire elections?

The obvious answer is: of course not — because non-resident voting undermines the people’s sovereignty.

Democrats are always complaining about “outside interests” influencing elections. Non-residents are the ultimate “outside interest.” They have no long-term stake in the election results. They are, literally, outsiders. Why would we cede any control over our government to people who, by their refusal to become residents, openly declare their loyalty to another state?

Requiring that voters be legal residents denies no one the right to vote. All who refuse to become New Hampshire residents are free to vote in the state to which they have declared their intent to return. The requirement simply ensures that New Hampshire elections are decided by the sovereign people of New Hampshire, not the sovereign people of Nebraska, Massachusetts, Vermont or California.