HB385

Dear Chairman Berry and Representatives, I am writing as chair of Derry Supervisors of Checklist in Derry, which has the largest and most dynamic checklist in New Hampshire. I support HB289 because 70% of registrations in Derry included an affidavit. Nearly all were citizenship affidavits completed by people born in the United States who did not present proof of citizenship. Naturalized citizens are familiar with citizenship documents and rarely required affidavits. Misinformation about proving citizenship is pervasive and persistent. Only 3 documents establish citizenship: a US birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate. Many Granite Staters believe a driver's license proves citizenship and reject outreach explaining it does not. Other qualified people do not have and are unable to obtain a citizenship document. Adoptees, for instance, testified to your committee last session; as well as people who lost household records in floods or fires. The elimination of registration affidavits will be especially devastating for Granite Staters registering on election day. In November, Derry Supervisors registered 2300 new voters. Even if outreach before the next general election is wildly successful and we bring the percentage of same-day registrants with documents for everything up from 30% to 60%, that still means that 1000 qualified citizens will be turned away at the next general election unless affidavits are allowed. The prospect of turning away so many qualified voters alarms me. I urge you to vote OTP and allow Granite Staters to establish their qualifications with an affidavit if they lack a document. Thank you. Judy Strakalaitis Supervisors of the Checklist, Chair Derry

I work the polls in my town and have for years. Affidavits work and have always worked. Let’s get this fixed and bring them back.

I support the right to vote for ALL citizens and I believe this bill will protect that right!

Our current election system under HB1569 disenfranchises voters by creating unnecessary barriers to registration that will make lines longer and turns voters away. It undermines our communities by making it harder for people to participate in the democratic process. New Hampshire elections are safe and secure. Officials from both parties agree that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in New Hampshire. A recent poll found that 93% of voters have confidence that their votes are accurately counted. Under HB1569, New Hampshire arguably has the most restrictive voter registration system in the country – New Hampshire is the only state that requires documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Every other state allows voters to register and vote by attesting, under penalty of perjury, to their US Citizenship.

I support this bill.

I am a Supervisor of the Checklist in the town of Wolfeboro

I respectfully ask that you stop trying to disenfranchise the voters of New Hampshire. It must be exhausting working so hard to destroy our republic.

I am very much in favor of the repeal of HB1569 which disenfranchises voters. HB1569 is terribly restrictive and wrong.

REESTABLISH allowing other kinds of ID when voting.

REESTABLISH allowing other kinds of ID when voting.

I support voter ID exceptions.

We do not need or want to disenfranchise voters in NH. There is no evidence of wide spread voter fraud or illegal voting in NH. There has not been a documented case of a non-citizen voting in New Hampshire. Please, remove the unnecessary impediments to voting created by HB 1569. More voters equals more democracy.

If we are trusting our election officials, then we should trust them.

I am a ballot clerk and I see how important it is that voter's be able to sign an affidavit when they don't have all tha documentation they need to vote. Affidavits are legal documents. They are a reliable way to make sure our citizens can vote and thwart and attempt at fraud, which is extremely unlikely anyway.

To the honorable election law committee: My name is Andrew Harmon, and I am a legally blind resident of New Hampton, NH. I am writing in support of HB 385, entitled “reestablishing voter identification exceptions”. As someone who had to relocate during the pandemic to assist family during the pandemic, I tried to vote in my local town warrant and municipal elections in 201. Unfortunately, my non-driver’s identification was out of date as I was still in process of moving back to my current residence in New Hampton, and thought the other identification I had would suffice as I did not know about the changes to voter identification rules. I had my birth certificate copy on my person out of sheer luck as I had been trying to get a Real ID at the time prior to my move, but the local official did not recognize the copy as legitimate as the technology had changed so radically in the 38 years since my birth in California. If HB 1569 had been in place at the time, I would not have been able to vote that day as the signed copy of my rental agreement showing where I lived would not have been accepted along with the affidavit I signed. I would not have been recognized despite living in that town for the lion’s share of my life, and having voted for at least ten of the years I lived in the town prior to attending college and later moving to Keene in 2010. I thank the committee for taking the time to read and review this testimony, and I urge the committee to please pass this necessary restoration of rights to the citizens by voting Ought to Pass. If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them via email or by cell phone at your convenience. Sincerely Andrew Harmon, Concerned Citizen 138 Main Street New Hampton, NH 03256 | andrewjharmon@gmail.com | Cell: 603-992-4053

HB 385l would allow a person registering to vote who does not have proof of identity, age, domicile, or citizenship can sign an affidavit and then register. An affidavit is a powerful legal document with serious consequences for a voter who attests to an untrue statement. This bill would have a positive impact on new voters, people who move frequently, young people, and those experiencing housing insecurity. Difficult life circumstances should not cause a voter to be disenfranchised, and HB 385 will address this. This bill seeks to correct the barriers to voting put in place by HB 1569. I ask that you vote Ought to Pass on HB 385.

I do not support his bill.

Our current election system under HB1569 disenfranchises voters by creating unnecessary barriers to registration that will make lines longer and turns voters away. It undermines our communities by making it harder for people to participate in the democratic process. New Hampshire elections are safe and secure. Officials from both parties agree that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in New Hampshire. A recent poll found that 93% of voters have confidence that their votes are accurately counted. Under HB1569, New Hampshire arguably has the most restrictive voter registration system in the country – New Hampshire is the only state that requires documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Every other state allows voters to register and vote by attesting, under penalty of perjury, to their US Citizenship. There has not been a documented case of a non-citizen voting in New Hampshire Kansas’s brief, disastrous experiment with a documentary proof of citizenship law resulted in over 30,000 disenfranchised voters in 2 years, approximately 12% of voter registrations submitted during that time..