No, you don’t need your birth certificate to register to vote in the NH primaries

I Voted sticker on branded elections background. (Courtesy)

By Mrinali Dhembla

August 28, 2024

Earlier this year, voting rights advocates raised flags about a Republican-led bill making its way through the New Hampshire legislature that would require Granite Staters to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote. (New Hampshire law already requires voters to be US citizens.) And while that legislation passed the state House in March and the Senate in May, it has not gone into effect.

In other words: If you’ve not yet registered to vote in the Sept. 10 state primaries, you can still do so without having to bring along your birth certificate or passport.

Why? Because even though House Bill 1569—which eliminates the existing option for residents to sign a sworn affidavit when registering to vote and instead requires physical proof of US citizenship—sailed through both the House and Senate, the legislation still needs to be signed by the House speaker and Senate president before passed along to Gov. Sununu. As of Wednesday, the bill had still not been signed by Senate President Jeb Bradley, a Republican.

Once signed into law by the governor, the bill would go into effect after 60 days.

If that ultimately happens, New Hampshire would become one of the strictest in the country when it comes to new voter registration; one in 10 US voters may face difficulty providing proof of citizenship.

Proponents of the bill say the bill could help close “loopholes” and prevent voter fraud, but there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the current election system.

Critics say this bill could also disenfranchise broad swathes of New Hampshire voters and impose an incredibly high bar for registering to vote in the state, as previously reported by Granite Post political correspondent Colin Booth.

Author

Mrinali Dhembla

Based in Manchester, Mrinali Dhembla is Granite Post's multimedia reporter. She's previously worked as deputy editor at The Keene Sentinel, and has experience writing for many national and international publications. When not doing journalism, she likes to cook food (and eat it).

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