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Jasper: GOP Control in Concord Could Pave Way For Election Law Changes

Allegra Boverman for NHPR

House Speaker Shawn Jasper says Republican control in Concord could pave the way for changes to the state's election laws.

After narrowly winning his party's nomination for a second term as Speaker last week, Jasper spoke to NHPR's All Things Considered about priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

"We will certainly be looking very carefully at all the issues surrounding same-day registration and what we can do perhaps with a 15-, 30-day residency requirement," he said. " (We'll be) looking very carefully at how we define domicile. In general, tightening up our election laws now that we have a Republican in the corner office."

Governor-elect Chris Sununu has said he wants to repeal the state's same-day voter registration law, which has been in place since 1994. It was passed as a way for the state to get out of some of the requirements of federal "motor voter" law passed at the time.

Outgoing Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan has vetoed legislation passed by Republicans that would have required a person to be a resident of the state for 30 days to be able to vote, and would have tightened the definition of domicile for voting purposes.

Among his other priorities, Jasper says he wants to create an office for business advocacy as a way to make the state more business friendly.

"We have a lot of rules and regulations and no business owner can know what they all are, Jasper said. "I'd like to see us have someone who's actually looking at the rules and regulations and laws that exist that may be hampering reasonable business growth in this state."

Peter Biello is the host of All Things Considered and Writers on a New England Stage at New Hampshire Public Radio. He has served as a producer/announcer/host of Weekend Edition Saturday at Vermont Public Radio and as a reporter/host of Morning Edition at WHQR in Wilmington, North Carolina.
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