Gov. Kelly Ayotte has signed a bill preventing college students from using their school-issued identification card as verification when voting in New Hampshire.
In 2022, N.H. was named the hardest state to vote in on The New York Times’ ranking.
If states are trying to boost youth voter registration, why propose legislation making it harder for that demographic to vote?
The Equinox believes this bill creates unnecessary hurdles for students voting and is a blatant case of voter suppression.
Out-of-state students attending college in N.H. have a right to vote in the town they reside in for the majority of the year, especially when they are paying to be here and actively contributing to the community. Student IDs are one of the only ways those students can vote conveniently in the state of N.H. They will now be forced to find another way to vote, whether that is by an absentee mail-in ballot or possibly traveling several hours to their home state. Although spending money on transportation might just empty your pockets due to the rapid increase in gas prices.
Keene State offers shuttle buses to the closest polling location, where students can register on the day of. Without the option of the Owl Card, students will have to bring a valid driver’s license, U.S. passport, military ID or birth certificate as well as proof of local residency. It is more than likely that many students leave their important documents at home or don’t even have a passport or driver’s license for various reasons. This bill will make it significantly harder to register in person on Election Day. It is disappointing for the state to move backwards, considering almost 93,000 voters registered at the polls in 2024, according to the N.H. Secretary of State website.
President Donald Trump has been adamant about attacking current voting laws and signed an executive order just last week.
“President Trump on Tuesday escalated his efforts to reshape American elections, signing an executive order that seeks to create lists of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote in each state, and instructing the U.S. Postal Service to send mail ballots only to verified voters,” according to NPR.
Conservative lawmakers have this fabricated idea that college indoctrinates the liberal agenda into students when, in reality, college is the time when young adults are finally allowed to think for themselves instead of adopting the beliefs of their family.
Republicans argue that House Bill 323 will make elections more secure by reducing any potential voting fraud. However, we believe there is a substantial lack of evidence to support this claim.
In the last five years, N.H. has only had 11 criminal convictions of voter fraud, according to The Heritage Foundation, which aims to ‘promote conservative public policies.’ It is important to note that the convicted individuals are all above the age of 40, which is well past the average age of college voters.
It seems there is no real concern for voter fraud among the college population and saying there is is just an excuse to limit opposing viewpoints, thus giving republicans a leg up.
Voting ensures that those who are affected by legislation being passed can voice their opinion. College students who are directly affected by the budget cuts coming down from the state government have the right to be heard when it’s their education at stake. Making voter registration less accessible is limiting our ability to influence policy and allows legislators to continue striking down higher education at our expense.
