OCTOBER 2024
When It Comes to Ease and Cost of Voting, New Hampshire Ranks 50th in the Country
In national studies that rank states by the ease and cost of voting, New Hampshire’s position has steadily declined: from 4th in the country in 1998 to 40th in 2016 and all the way to 50th in 2022.
The Voting Landscape
How New Hampshire Compares to Other States
The state’s appalling status is the result of the legislature’s refusal to allow options that would make it easier to register and vote, opportunities that are available in the vast majority of other states where:
The Latest Burden Imposed by the Legislature
This year, the legislature’s persistent efforts to make voting even more difficult paid off when the outgoing governor signed HB1569, creating what is widely considered to be the most restrictive voting law in the country.
As reported by NHPR, when the law goes into effect on November 11, 2024 (six days after the 2024 election):
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All first-time voters as well as those with a change in name or address will be required to show documentary proof of their citizenship—a passport, an original birth certificate, or naturalization papers—in order to register.
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There will be no exceptions for showing identification at the polls on Election Day. Registered voters who fail to show ID will not be allowed to cast a ballot.
In addition, New Hampshire’s exemption from the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) will be open to challenge because of these onerous restrictions on same-day registration.
Officials of both parties and at every level of government have stated that New Hampshire’s elections are safe, secure, and free of widespread voter fraud. This new law is nothing other than blatant voter suppression. As of October, 2024, two lawsuits have been filed; New Hampshire Democracy Fund grantees are plaintiffs in both.
UNDERFUNDED ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) provided states with funds to improve election administration, from election/cyber security to voting equipment. New Hampshire received more than $18 million in HAVA funds.
The Secretary of State’s office, which successfully pursued legislation allowing it to restrict the use of these funds, uses HAVA money primarily to fund internal operations. The office also spent $1 million in HAVA funds to retrofit the state archive building.
On a proportional basis, New Hampshire has the largest unspent portion of HAVA money of any state. As a result, the state is not funding urgent needs, from covering the full cost of replacing obsolete election equipment to providing more than minimal support and training to the hundreds of volunteer election officials and poll workers who are responsible for administering secure and efficient elections.
New Hampshire Democracy Fund
Leading the Charge for Change
New Hampshire doesn’t have to be last in the nation when it comes to making voting accessible to all eligible citizens. By working together to enact and implement pro-voter policies, we can reverse the decades-long push to limit access to the polls.
New Hampshire Democracy Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2020, is making investments and building coalitions to do just that. The success of our multi-year, comprehensive strategy has received national recognition and put us at the forefront of a growing movement to make voting rights and civic participation a philanthropic priority.
Defending Our Democracy
New Hampshire Democracy Fund is a strategic hub that sets policy goals, provides sustained and rapid-response funding, and aligns programming among grantees and partners. To achieve our pro-democracy mission, we invest in efforts to:
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Advocate for voting rights and fair electoral maps,
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Increase civic engagement,
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Support civic leadership, and
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Drive effective communications.
Since our founding, building the capacity for organizing, advocacy, research, and messaging has led to a number of notable wins, including:
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Successfully advocating for the Secretary of State’s office to release some HAVA funds to help cities and towns purchase new voting equipment. Most New Hampshire ballot-counting machines are circa 1989. They break down frequently and there is no source for replacement parts. Legislative efforts to make federal HAVA funds available to help cities and towns purchase election equipment have repeatedly failed.
After relentless pressure from Democracy Fund grantees and election officials, in July 2024, the Secretary of State’s office announced it would make HAVA funds available to cover up to 50% of the purchase price of new election equipment for all New Hampshire communities. While this is a step in the right direction, local taxpayers are still forced to cover the other 50% of the cost to replace obsolete machines. -
Expanding access to voters across the state to ensure each polling place has at least one accessible voting system during every election, including for municipal elections.
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Warding off attempts to gerrymander the state’s congressional districts in 2022.
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Helping to prevent dozens of additional anti-voter measures from becoming law during the 2021 and 2023 legislative sessions.
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Mobilizing effective outreach in marginalized communities during the 2020 census.
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Distributing multilingual voter education materials, providing training and resources for town election officials, and recruiting non-partisan poll workers to fill gaps across the state.
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Expanding eligibility to vote absentee during the pandemic. Determined that voters not be forced to choose between their health and their right to vote during the pandemic, the Democracy Fund made significant investments in 2020 to expand eligibility for absentee ballots, followed by voter education campaigns and assistance to town clerks in implementing the new provisions. In the end, 72% of the state’s eligible voters cast ballots in that year’s presidential election. Of that, 32% voted by mail, up from just 10% in 2016. Despite the success of expanded vote by mail, the legislature chose not to allow this option beyond 2020.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, we have a plan to continue making progress, with an eye toward preparing for the 2030 census and the legislature’s opportunity to then draw new electoral maps for the following 10 years.
GERRYMANDERED MAPS
Over the past two redistricting cycles, New Hampshire’s electoral maps have been increasingly skewed for partisan gain. In 2022, the effects of gerrymandering were evident in all state-level races, especially the Executive Council. As a result, a majority of Granite Staters are underrepresented and hampered in achieving their policy goals.
Our goals are twofold:
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To ensure that every Granite Stater is counted during the census, with special emphasis on those often overlooked in rural communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities; and that
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The resulting electoral maps are fairly drawn so rather than politicians choosing their voters, voters can choose their representatives.
An important part of the strategy to achieve these goals is investing in efforts to educate and mobilize New Hampshire voters, especially those who don’t generally participate in the democratic process.
A healthy and thriving democracy is a participatory activity, something that requires participation across all demographics. In New Hampshire, research has shown that young people, people of color, and unmarried women tend to participate in civic affairs at substantially lower rates than other Granite Staters.
In the run-up to the 2030 census and the drawing of fair maps, the Democracy Fund is committed to supporting efforts that will engage voters year round, from providing civic education to increasing visibility of how our citizen legislature works. Granite Staters deserve to understand more about the policies being proposed (short term and long term), which policies are passing, and who is working to advance the policies that are in their best interest.
Achieving these goals will take years of orchestrated planning and investment, including continued leadership from the New Hampshire Coalition for Voting Rights, expanded community organizing, ongoing demographic research, and access to legal expertise. To date, the Democracy Fund is receiving support from a variety of sources, including the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Point 32 Health Foundation, the Endowment for Health, and the Couch Family Foundation.
Invest in Positive Action
Strengthening civic participation and protecting voting rights in New Hampshire requires making significant strategic investments over the long term.
We invite you to join us in advancing this mission.
Or mail a check made payable to New Hampshire Democracy Fund to:
New Hampshire Democracy Fund
P.O. Box 176
Portsmouth, NH 03802
Want to Learn More?
For questions about our work and information about other ways to support the Democracy Fund, contact Susan Dewhirst at sdewhirst@nhdemocracyfund.org.