Shortly after taking office, President Trump made multiple claims of massive voter fraud in New Hampshire, a state he lost in the 2016 election. While party leaders on both sides of the aisle initially defended New Hampshire's electoral system, the state's newly elected Republican governor and GOP lawmakers began eyeing legislation designed to "tighten" the state's voting laws.
NHPR reporter Casey McDermott began reporting on the claims of fraud immediately, producing audio features, digital explainers and web interactives using voter data obtained from the Secretary of State's office to show Trump's allegations were not confirmed by the evidence. As the state Legislature began crafting bills around voting, Casey continued to report on what the bills contained, what their potential impact would be, and whether they were solving known issues around voting or had more political motivations.
Her reporting through 2017 played a big role in shaping public understanding – and public policy – around this critical issue in the First in the Nation presidential primary state.
Highlights of NHPR's coverage of the voting rights debate in 2017:
2.7.17 – What Difference Could Four Words Make? A Lot, When It Comes to N.H. Voting Laws
2.13.17 - How N.H. Tries to Guard Against 'Fraud' On Election Day
2.14.17 – Interactive Graphic: Where Were Out-of-State IDs Used to Vote in New Hampshire?
3.20.17 - Who Gets to Claim a Stake in N.H. Elections? Untangling the 'Domicile' Debate
4.28.17 - What Would Changing Registration Rules in N.H. Mean For Student Voters?
7.3.17 - Sec. of State Gardner: N.H. Will Provide Public Voter Information to Trump Election Commission
7.6.17 - Not Just the Trump Commission: Political Parties and Data Firms Already Get N.H. Voters' Data
7.10.17 - On Question of Voter Fraud, Eight Months Make Quite a Difference for Sununu
9.1.17 - Oversight Agency Faults How N.H. Accounts for Federal Election Money
9.11.17 - Outside Groups Target N.H. As Key Battleground In Fight Over Voting Rights
9.11.17 - Senate Bill 3 Gets Its First Test Tuesday: Here's an Overview
9.13.17 - Trump Commission's Meeting Puts N.H.'s Top Election Official In The Spotlight
9.26.17 - State Sends Mixed Signals to N.H. Towns on Rules for Removing Voters from Checklists
10.2.17 - Sec. of State Says He's On Trump Commission Only in 'Personal Capacity'
11.6.17 - As N.H. Voters Head to Polls, Proof of Residence Voting Law Remains In Limbo
11.7.17 - State Elections Website Riddled With Errors As Voters Head to the Polls