WebHeader_Grove.png
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Join as a sustainer and support independent local news for your community.

Trump Election Commission Will Meet in New Hampshire Next Month

22371001067_4c8a84f93c_z__3_.jpg
Allegra Boverman, NHPR
/
Secretary of State Bill Gardner greets then-candidate Donald Trump during his filing for the 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary.

The Trump administration’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is coming to New Hampshire next month. Secretary of State Bill Gardner’s office confirmed those plans, as did an official notice in the federal register.

The panel is scheduled to meet  at 10 a.m. on Sept. 12 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College. This will be the commission's second meeting, and its first outside Washington.

Gardner, a member of the commission, was not immediately available for additional comment on Thursday afternoon. His participation on the commission, and his decision to comply with a request to share state voter information with the panel, have stirred fierce local debate.

Those criticizing Gardner for participating in the Trump commission say the secretary is lending his authority to an effort that will be used to advance more restrictive voting laws. Gardner has said he joined because he wants to study why people are losing confidence in the nation’s elections and how to fix that.

At the commission's first meeting in Washington last month, Gardner signaled an interest in studying voter identification laws and their effect on voter turnout rates.

According to the meeting notice, members of the public can attend the September meeting — but registration is required and space is limited. There won’t be an opportunity for public comment at the meeting, but people can submit written comments in advance. More details on the meeting can be found here.

Casey McDermott is a senior news editor at New Hampshire Public Radio. Throughout her time as an NHPR reporter and editor, she has worked with colleagues across the newsroom to deepen the station’s accountability coverage, data journalism and audience engagement across platforms.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.