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“A poll tax is a poll tax is a poll tax.” How the GOP Plans to Suppress the Vote in New Hampshire with HB 1264

By: Ashley Marcoux, New Hampshire Field Director at Let America Vote

Outraged Granite Staters gathered in Concord on Tuesday to testify against HB 1264 at a public hearing held by the Senate Election Law and Internal Affairs Committee. HB 1264 changes the definition of domicile to equate to residency — and would require Granite Staters to have a New Hampshire license, identification card or car registration in order to vote.

What’s all that mean?

HB 1264 is a poll tax — plain and simple. If you’re a student who goes to school in New Hampshire, you would have to go to the DMV and pay for a license, identification card or register your car in the state in order to vote.

Dozens of students missed their morning classes to make their voices heard in opposition to a bill that would disenfranchise them and their peers in the state where they live, work, and attend school.

The Republican committee leadership met them with anything but open arms. The room reserved for the hearing fit fewer than half of those attending. After an hour of trying to fit into a cramped, far-too-small room, the hearing was finally moved so everyone could attend.

Betsy McClain, Hanover’s Town Clerk, testified that HB 1264 would discourage Dartmouth students from voting by requiring them to obtain an in-state driver’s license or register their vehicles in New Hampshire. The nearest DMV to Hanover is about 40 minutes away, and given their hours of 9:00am-5:00pm, having such requirements for residency is a significant inconvenience for a college student.

Gilles Bissonnette, Legal Director of the ACLU-NH, offered impassioned opposition to the bill, claiming it would have a chilling effect on student voting, and noted that New Hampshire already has a well-known struggle with retaining young people in the state.

Some of Tuesday’s most compelling testimony came from those New Hampshire students. They traveled from all corners of the state, but their message was unified: HB 1264 tells us that our voices do not matter, and that New Hampshire Republicans would rather we had none at all.

The best chance of HB 1264’s eventual defeat comes from an unlikely source: Republican Governor Chris Sununu. When asked about HB 1264 and a similar bill, HB 372, by UNH student Ben Kremer, Sununu said that he “hates them” and that he will veto any legislation he believes will disenfranchise students.

Well, Governor, it’s clear from the hearing that HB 1264 would do just that.

Let America Vote’s mission is to win the political argument for voting rights in New Hampshire by electing pro-voting leaders. When politicians make it hard for Granite Staters to vote, we’re going to make it hard for them to keep their jobs. Urging lawmakers to oppose this bad bill aligns perfectly with that effort.

If you’re a New Hampshire voter, take action to stop HB 1264 by calling Governor Sununu at 603–271–2121 to urge him to veto this voter suppression bill. If you live outside of New Hampshire, text VOTE to 44939 to find out how you can help stop voter suppression bills — and the politicians who support them.