On March 11, Keene School District (SAU29) had its first election since the passage of HB 1569 by the New Hampshire legislature during its 2024 legislative session.
HB 1569 was a bill, now law, that removed “affidavit voting” as a way for those who are eligible voters to register. Those who wish to register as a voter on an election day must provide proof of citizenship with a birth certificate or passport along with other previously required documents for proof of domicile.
From the Keene City Clerk’s office, Deputy City Clerk Terri Hood and incoming Deputy City Clerk Kathleen Richards reached out to The Equinox to inform people who are eligible to vote about the documents needed to register.
“[We are] wanting to provide some education for voters [about] House Bill 1569 that went into effect in November, just after the presidential election,” said Hood.
She added, “Essentially, it has removed the ability for people registering to vote on Election Day to sign affidavits in lieu of showing identification or proof of citizenship or proof of domicile.”
Hood said the office wants to clarify with potential voters what documentation will be needed when they go to register. Richards is working with the supervisors of the checklists for each ward to establish what documents can be accepted for identification and citizenship.
“We have the additional expectation that instead of having them sign that they’re a citizen, we have to see proof that they’re a citizen,” said Richards. She added this could be a birth certificate, consular birth record if born outside of the United States or naturalization papers.
With regards to proof of domicile, Richards said new voters can fill out attestation forms if they do not have formal identification with their address on it.
“[Voters] can sign an attestation form and provide some other documentation like a piece of mail they got at that address. If it’s difficult for them to come up with that sort of documentation they can also have their landlord; if they’re not on a lease but live with someone else, they can have the person that owns the property sign a confirmation form that says, ‘This person lives at the address,’” added Richards.
However, one of the biggest changes will affect those with a New Hampshire state identification card, said Hood.
“If someone possesses a New Hampshire ID, they are compelled to provide that ID. If they tell us they have one, we need to see it. So that means there may be situations where we have to send someone away and have them come back, which isn’t something we’ve done in the past,” said Hood.
Hood said she was hopeful but unsure when asked about the potential negative impacts on voter turnout from the new law. She said, “We’re going try our best to help guide and educate, so that when somebody comes to the polling location they are able to be accommodated, that’s for sure.”
However, people have their own concerns.
Jason Washer, former school board candidate, said he is concerned with this legislation, saying, “I think it’s voter suppression.”
Washer continued, saying, “I’m surprised there hasn’t been more outrage of it, frankly. I’m surprised I hadn’t seen more people coming out of here upset that they haven’t been able to vote, but hopefully they’re all pre-registered.” He said he did not see concern of a major threat to voter turnout for an election like the school board’s, but added, “When this applies to the bigger elections it’s going to have an impact for sure.”
Eric Silverstein, senior at Keene State, said, “It has its pros and cons. In hindsight it sounds like a good idea to have people provide some sort of [proof of citizenship], but at the same time you’re now cutting a bunch of people that are able to go to the polls for various reasons of not having a birth certificate or losing it somewhere.”
Timothy Fitzpatrick can be contacted at
tfitzpatrick@kscequinox.com
