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BREAKING: New Hampshire Senate Passes Bill to Stop College Students from Voting

The New Hampshire Senate today passed first-of-its-kind voter suppression legislation along party lines that could disenfranchise thousands of eligible college student voters. House Bill 372, a politically-motivated bill designed to alter the electorate after Republicans narrowly lost statewide elections in 2016, is one step closer to the desk of Governor Sununu–who has already declared that he does not support the bill.

HB 372’s disenfranchising “domicile” amendment was introduced by Senators Regina Birdsell and James Gray, who were added to Let America Vote’s Voter Suppression Hall of Shame last month.

“This bill is only a priority for the elected politicians who stand to gain from disenfranchising voters who aren’t likely to vote for their reelection,” said Jason Kander, President of Let America Vote. “If every state passed a law like HB 372, college students may not be able to vote at all. Instead of including folks in their agenda who aren’t likely to vote Republican, the New Hampshire GOP has launched a sustained attack on the voting rights of groups who disagree with them. Governor Sununu already said he would never support anything that suppresses the student vote and that he opposes this bill. If HB 372 passes the House, Governor Sununu must make good on his promise. We’re opening a Let America Vote office in New Hampshire to make it clear to politicians like Senators Birdsell and Gray that if they make it harder to vote, we’re going to make it harder for them to get reelected.”

The New Hampshire GOP began its assault on voting rights last year with the passage of Senate Bill 3, which first restricted the voting rights of college students. SB 3 has faced multiple challenges in court and backlash from voters across New Hampshire.