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Senate Committee Reworks Voter ID BIll

The new bill limits a plan that aims to freeze implementation of the next phase of NH’s voter ID law.

Under the provisions of NH’s voter ID law set to kick in in September , only government issued ID would work at the polls --  and local election officials would snap pictures of voters who cast ballots without ID.

Neither provision would take effect under a bill backed by the democratically-controlled house, but the GOP led senate appears to have other plans.

“It keeps the voter ID in place which we think is a good thing, and it pushed back the picture taking a couple of years so we can get more data, and that’s a good thing.”

David Boutin of Hooksett is Chairman of the Senate Public Works and Municipal Affairs Committee. It's 3-2 vote on the bill was party line.

Democrats say the bill’s failure to include student ID on the list of permissible IDs was telling.  Senator David Pierce is from Etna.

“Taking out student IDs has been a longheld objective, and with this they do it.”

The bill would give moderators broad authority determine voters qualifications, including allowing people to vote without identification if the moderator recognizes them, or to accept a college ID as proof of identity.

 

Josh has worked at NHPR since 2000.

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