Voting
How U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson helped derail a fight against election lies
This report was corrected on Nov. 27 at 4:17 p.m. to more accurately reflect the nature of Nina Jankowicz’s public comments about the Hunter Biden laptop. Back in July, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. A federal court had recently granted a temporary injunction, in Missouri v. Biden, finding that […]
New Hampshire sets Jan. 23 presidential primary date, the first in the nation
Defying the wishes of the Democratic National Committee, Secretary of State Dave Scanlan announced Wednesday that New Hampshire will hold its 2024 presidential primaries on Jan. 23, the first state in the country scheduled to do so. Speaking at a press conference flanked by Republican and Democratic state party leaders, Scanlan said the primary date […]
New Hampshire AG ‘carefully reviewing’ challenge to Trump on ballot
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office is “carefully reviewing” the question of whether former President Donald Trump can run as a presidential candidate in the state, after one New Hampshire Republican argued that Trump’s role in encouraging the Jan. 6 protests that turned into an insurrection bars him from seeking office under the U.S. Constitution. […]
As Trump visits New Hampshire, supporters cheer an ally on ‘parental rights’
New Hampshire Republicans who turned out to support former President Donald Trump in Windham on Tuesday made it clear that “parental rights” will be a top concern heading into next year’s Republican primary. Held at Windham High School, the event marked Trump’s first campaign rally in New Hampshire since last week’s indictment by the Department […]
As New Hampshire voting machines age, state weighs alternatives
New Hampshire cities and towns received a clear warning in 2020: The Accuvote machines used by many communities to count ballots at elections are growing old. In a July 2020 letter to cities and towns, LHS Associates, the Salem-based vendor that sells and services the machines, said it would “continue to provide services and parts […]
As states hunt for new voters, Massachusetts adds thousands via Medicaid applications
Massachusetts saw a more-than-fivefold jump in voter registration applications through social service agencies in the last election cycle, new federal data shows. The striking increase comes after the state implemented an automatic voter registration system that includes Medicaid applicants. Any eligible voter in the state who applies for Medicaid is automatically added to the rolls, […]
The Supreme Court ended ‘independent state legislature theory.’ Here’s what that means for NH.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt the final blow to “independent state legislature theory.” Amid blockbuster decisions around affirmative action and student debt relief, the U.S. Supreme Court also ruled on a legal theory that experts said could disrupt the checks and balances over each state’s election laws. In Moore v. Harper, a 6-3 […]
Where the GOP presidential candidates stand on national abortion bans, restrictions
WASHINGTON – The 2024 Republican presidential primary marks the first time in half a century that candidates will debate whether abortion should be restricted or banned at the federal level without the Roe v. Wade ruling making most of their proposals moot. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to overturn the nationwide, constitutional right […]
Lawmakers contemplate online voter registration in New Hampshire
This story was updated on June 14 at 9:06 a.m. to correct the bill number and link for the election information portal. The New Hampshire Legislature is considering allowing online voter registration – a major potential change to the state’s election system that advocates say would ease burdens on voters and poll workers. Senate Bill […]
Bill to boost political finance transparency heads to Sununu’s desk
A bill to increase oversight of political advocacy organizations in New Hampshire is headed to Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk. House Bill 195 would expand which organizations would count as political advocacy organizations, a designation that requires them to register with the Secretary of State’s Office and report receipts and expenditures. Currently, the label applies only […]
U.S. elections official takes part in secretive GOP conference, sparking backlash
This report has been updated on April 18, 2023 at 12:32 p.m. to clarify that the Election Assistance Commission is subject to the federal ethics code for executive branch employees. A commissioner of a federal elections agency recently spoke at a secretive conference of conservative voting activists and Republican secretaries of state and congressional staff […]
Federal agencies lag in registering voters despite Biden executive order, advocates say
Within weeks of taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order – hailed by voter advocates as potentially transformative – that for the first time committed the U.S. government to registering new voters at federal agencies. But just over two years later, most of the 10 agencies examined in a recent report […]