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| © Holly Ramer/AP New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announces a series of emergency orders on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Concord, N.H., in response to the coronavirus pandemic. |
By Colby Itkowitz and Amy Gardner, The Washington Post
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) announced Thursday that the state will allow voters to cast mail-in ballots in the November general election if the coronavirus is still a factor this fall.
The decision is a significant departure from Sununu’s past stance against widespread absentee voting and stands in contrast to the rhetoric coming from some Republicans, including President Trump.
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“Basically if you feel more comfortable voting absentee because of the outbreak or your inability or nervousness about just appearing in person to vote, you can vote absentee and obtain an absentee ballot,” Sununu said at a news conference.
Sununu said the state is considering other voting alternatives, too, including “drive-up voting,” in which a voter would not have to leave his or her vehicle.
Trump this week denounced mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that it allowed for widespread voter fraud. His comments came after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower-court ruling extending the deadline when voters could mail in ballots for Tuesday’s state elections and presidential primaries in Wisconsin.
When pressed for examples of it happening, Trump responded, “Well, we’re going to find out about the proof because you’re going to see what’s going on, and I’m not going to stand for it.”
New Hampshire has been a battleground in recent years on voting access, with Republicans pushing ID restrictions and opposing Democratic efforts to expand absentee balloting.
On Thursday, voting rights advocates won a significant victory when a single state superior court judge struck down a Sununu-signed law restricting students attending college in the state from registering to vote there unless they have a permanent New Hampshire address or driver’s license.
Although more than half the states, including almost all the so-called political battlegrounds, allow no-excuse-needed absentee voting, New Hampshire does not. To vote by mail in the state, a voter must provide a reason, such as illness or travel restraints.
The state legislature passed a bill last year to allow all residents to vote by mail regardless of reason, but Sununu vetoed it.
See more at The Washington Post
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) announced Thursday that the state will allow voters to cast mail-in ballots in the November general election if the coronavirus is still a factor this fall.
The decision is a significant departure from Sununu’s past stance against widespread absentee voting and stands in contrast to the rhetoric coming from some Republicans, including President Trump.
Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post
“Basically if you feel more comfortable voting absentee because of the outbreak or your inability or nervousness about just appearing in person to vote, you can vote absentee and obtain an absentee ballot,” Sununu said at a news conference.
Sununu said the state is considering other voting alternatives, too, including “drive-up voting,” in which a voter would not have to leave his or her vehicle.
Trump this week denounced mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that it allowed for widespread voter fraud. His comments came after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower-court ruling extending the deadline when voters could mail in ballots for Tuesday’s state elections and presidential primaries in Wisconsin.
When pressed for examples of it happening, Trump responded, “Well, we’re going to find out about the proof because you’re going to see what’s going on, and I’m not going to stand for it.”
New Hampshire has been a battleground in recent years on voting access, with Republicans pushing ID restrictions and opposing Democratic efforts to expand absentee balloting.
On Thursday, voting rights advocates won a significant victory when a single state superior court judge struck down a Sununu-signed law restricting students attending college in the state from registering to vote there unless they have a permanent New Hampshire address or driver’s license.
Although more than half the states, including almost all the so-called political battlegrounds, allow no-excuse-needed absentee voting, New Hampshire does not. To vote by mail in the state, a voter must provide a reason, such as illness or travel restraints.
The state legislature passed a bill last year to allow all residents to vote by mail regardless of reason, but Sununu vetoed it.
See more at The Washington Post
