House Republicans approved a bill restoring voter residency requirements to state law after the state Supreme Court struck down the 2017 SB 3 law, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. A companion effort to place those definitions in the state Constitution fell short.
House Republicans approved a bill to restore voter residency requirements to state law
the New Hampshire Union Leader
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne argued current laws were so loosely written they could be exploited, offering a pointed example to the New Hampshire Union Leader.
“Because our laws are so vague, Kim Jong-un could come here, and does for all we know. He could use same-day registration, vote in our election, and head back to North Korea,” Osborne said in a statement.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
Osborne summed up his standard in the same statement to the New Hampshire Union Leader: If you are legally qualified to vote in New Hampshire, you can vote. Period.
The House passed the amended bill on a party-line 185-163 vote, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. Rep. Fenton Groen said the measure “removes SB 3 language, which the court addressed as objectionable, while retaining common-sense language that is simply intended to clarify our voting statutes.” Opponents predicted the bill would again be fought in court.
House Republican leaders did not succeed in advancing a proposed constitutional amendment to define “residency” and “domicile” for voting, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. Rep. Ross Berry argued the change would settle the question for good.
“We are trying to put to bed the endless debate over who should vote in New Hampshire,” said Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
Democrats countered that the amendment would create confusion, with Rep. Connie Lane asking whether the state would “start issuing passports to become a citizen of New Hampshire,” the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. The amendment cleared the House 190-165, well short of the three-fifths majority required, which Clerk Paul Smith noted meant at least 234 votes. The League of Women Voters and the state Democratic Party had challenged the original law as targeting out-of-state college students and other groups.
Rep. Ross Berry argued the standard for who may vote was straightforward and would not block anyone legitimately eligible. He framed the constitutional amendment as an effort to settle a recurring dispute once and for all.
“If New Hampshire is your primary residence, you get to vote here. How many people will this stop from voting in the next election? The answer is none.”
the New Hampshire Union Leader
The vote was the Legislature’s first action on voter residency since the state Supreme Court struck down the 2017 SB 3 law the previous July. Opponents, including the League of Women Voters, predicted the new language would again be challenged in court. House Republican leaders fell short of the three-fifths threshold needed to place residency and domicile definitions into the state Constitution, leaving the underlying dispute unresolved.
Read the full story at the New Hampshire Union Leader.
