Governor Sununu: Don’t Make New Hampshire Choose Between Health and Voting

New Hampshire is the only state in the United States that requires its citizens to register to vote and update existing registrations in person. Most states offer online voter registration and others allow their residents to download and print a voter registration application, complete it, and mail it to their county registrar or Secretary of State. Texas will even send you a pre-stamped envelope if you request it. 

New Hampshire’s draconian voter registration system is even more indefensible in light of COVID-19.  Now, venturing out to register to vote not only violates Governor Sununu’s Stay at Home Order but could threaten your life and the lives of others. Plus many town and city clerks that otherwise process voter registration applications are closed because of the pandemic. 

And while New Hampshire offers same-day registration at the polls, it’s unclear whether any of us will be able to vote in person in November, not to mention vulnerable populations. Plus same-day registration in some townships requires voters to stand in two lines, one to register and one to vote. Enabling online or mail-in registration now will simplify voting in November, whether in person or by mail, and protect the health of a large segment of Granite State voters including first-time voters, new residents, voters who have moved, and voters who have changed their names. 

New Hampshire already has in place a method for processing voter registration applications mailed from disabled persons and persons who are temporarily absent from New Hampshire. This system should be expanded in these unprecedented times to allow any citizen to register to vote by mail. Requiring a witness to sign a voter’s absentee registration application (something other states do not require) also should be relaxed to avoid unnecessary social contact (see N.H. RSA section 654:17). The state can ensure the integrity of absentee voter registration through a simple sworn statement that the application is correct, which is what most states use. 

The challenges facing elections management as a result of the novel coronavirus are enormous. States must quickly facilitate distance voting and provide citizens in states with strict ID requirements alternative methods of acquiring ID where DMVs and other government offices are closed, open during only limited hours, or dangerous for vulnerable populations such as older voters and voters with pre-existing health conditions. But New Hampshire can take an easy, no-brainer step toward enabling young or new residents to vote in 2020 by allowing them to register to vote or to update a registration online or by mail. No one should have to choose between their health and exercising their right to vote.

We all have a role to play to ensure our democracy is accessible to diverse voices, including young Americans, by standing up for fair election laws. If you live in New Hampshire and support online or mail-in voter registration, please call, write, email, or tweet Governor Chris Sununu and Secretary of State William Gardner to let them know. If you know someone who lives in New Hampshire, please share this link with them and urge them to contact their elected officials. 

Governor Chris Sununu

Office of the Governor
State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
Tel: (800) 852-3456

Email: governorsununu@nh.gov

Twitter: @GovChrisSununu

Secretary of State William Gardner

Secretary of State's Office
State House, Room 204
107 North Main Street
Concord, N.H. 03301 

Tel: (603) 271-3242

Email: elections@sos.nh.gov