NPR: Concerns about noncitizen voting drive sweeping new restrictions in New Hampshire
BY MILES PARKS & TODD BOOKMAN, NPR — SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
A new law in New Hampshire will require anyone registering to vote for the first time in the Granite State to provide documentation they are U.S. citizens, like a birth certificate or passport, a noteworthy win for conservatives who argue, without evidence, that elections nationwide may be tainted by noncitizen voting and therefore need more restrictions.
The law will not go into effect until after this year’s general election, but it’s already drawn a court challenge. Some experts also worry the timing of the law, signed last week, could confuse people about what they need to vote in New Hampshire this year.
No state has successfully implemented a proof-of-citizenship requirement like New Hampshire’s, despite years of conservative efforts around the issue. But election law experts say this new measure stands the best chance at surviving legal challenges due to an exception in federal voting rules.
If it stands, it would give new momentum to policies that could make it harder to register millions of eligible voters, should other states or Congress follow suit, says Lauren Kunis, executive director of the nonpartisan advocacy group VoteRiders, which helps people get IDs they need to vote.
“The lie that noncitizens are voting in federal elections has taken off like wildfire in the political narrative,” Kunis said. “I think there will be no shortage of opportunity for this type of legislation to be tested in different court systems as we move forward into 2025, absolutely to the detriment of American voters.”
In addition to the citizenship requirements for first-time registrants, the law eliminates all exceptions for voters who show up to cast ballots without proper identification.
