A federal judge has overturned a New Hampshire law that prevented new voters from using a sworn affidavit to prove their citizenship without official documents like a birth certificate or passport.
Judge Samantha D. Elliott of the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire ruled that removing the affidavits as a method for verifying citizenship places an undue burden on the right to vote. This violates the First and 14th Amendments. The decision came on Thursday, immediately nullifying the 2024 law signed by then-Republican Governor Chris Sununu.
The New Hampshire Justice Department intends to appeal the ruling. Spokesman Michael Garrity stated that the law offers a sensible approach to voter registration and election management intended to safeguard election integrity.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Hampshire brought the lawsuit on behalf of groups such as the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire. The law had some of the country’s strictest voter registration requirements. According to Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director of the state ACLU, the law could have unconstitutionally and needlessly stopped thousands of eligible voters from voting.
Judge Elliott noted that the number of wrongful voting reports in the state remained unchanged after the law was enacted. The reports filed with the state attorney general were similar both before and after the law’s passage.
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