The Issue: Fair elections matter. The freedom to vote for our elected leaders and speak up for what we believe in is foundational to American democracy. Yet, Republicans are doing everything they can to give themselves an unfair advantage in upcoming elections and that is anti-democratic.

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For democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all. In America, the right to vote is a fundamental freedom. Our elections must be free, fair and accessible for every qualified voter. New Hampshire Republicans try to undermine our confidence in our elections by pushing deliberate disinformation to sabotage the results of future elections so that they can stay in power. They try to limit who can vote and the power of our votes through voter suppression laws and gerrymandering. 

 

Vote for Democrats! As Democrats, we will:

• Fight for free and fair elections by strengthening voting rights and making voter registration easy and simple, so all of us have equal access to cast our ballots. We must make sure that everyone has a say, including retirees, college students, and active duty military.  

• Create fair redistricting standards so voters pick our leaders, instead of elected leaders picking their voters through partisan gerrymandering. 

• Trust and support our local election officials in continuing accurate and fair voting processes at the polls.

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Background: 

• Radical right strategies to undermine our democracy include:

  • Fostering distrust in government and democratic institutions.

  • Promoting the myth of wide-spread voter fraud and perpetuating the “Big Lie”.

  • An attempt for New Hampshire to secede from the United States through a resolution promoted by a group of Republican radical right legislators this year. (CACR32)

• Voting Rights & Gerrymandering: The core principle of one person, one vote is key to the Democratic party platform. New Hampshire Republicans, on the other hand, have worked to decimate voter rights, enact new poll taxes, and most egregiously, spent most of the past year pushing for badly gerrymandered maps in the Congressional districts, State House, Senate, and Executive Council.

• On April 18th, Governor Sununu signed a law (HB418) that makes it nearly impossible for overseas military to receive their ballots in time to vote, harder for eligible voters to register to vote at the polls, and will create a separate track for newly implemented affidavit ballots jeopardizing ballot secrecy. In their effort to undermine our elections, Republicans and radical right extremists refused to listen to local election officials and instead created an unconstitutional separate ballot system that is being challenged in court. Those who serve our country should have a say in our country, period. Granite Staters living and serving abroad must have equal access to voting. Read more on the lawsuit and HB418 here.

• 2022 election to determine 2024 outcomes? The Supreme Court is considering whether the Constitution allows state legislatures the right to choose the President however they please, with or without counting any votes from the electorate. If so, your vote in 2022 may decide whether you have a vote in the 2024 election. Generally, Republicans have voted in favor of reducing voting rights. If in the majority again, they could decide that the legislature was elected by the people to choose the President. Democrats, generally, have voted in favor of encouraging wider participation in elections and giving more power to the voters. It is certainly a question worth asking anyone running for office in your district: Will you vote to allow the legislature to choose who our state sends to the Electoral College? Read more here.​

• NH GOP legislators’ response to the January 6 Insurrection: On the afternoon of January 6th, 2021, the New Hampshire House took up a motion to suspend its rules and introduce a resolution “condemning violence in Washington D.C.” taking place that day. The resolution was introduced and ultimately passed on a voice vote. However, 30 NH GOP House members voted against allowing a resolution condemning the violence that day and never clarified their position otherwise. Their vote - which can only be interpreted as support for Trump's “Big Lie “ and violence against Capitol Police -  is now enshrined in the House Journal for the rest of time, and is one of the most extreme, public displays of support for political violence in the history of the House. See below for the list of 30. 

• New Hampshire Republican and radical right legislators are undermining our elections by:

  • Promoting the big lie by authorizing wasteful forensic audits of the 2020 election results. (HB1473 and HB1484)

  • Targeting college students by requiring them to have qualified for in-state tuition in order to vote. (HB86)

  • Creating a poll tax by requiring new residents to obtain a NH driver’s license in order to vote. (HB1643)

  • Targeting new Americans by adding a special marking on licenses and ID cards. (HB587)

  • Casting doubt on the security of our elections and undermining election integrity. (HB1522)

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List of Shame: Thirty NH GOP House members are on the record supporting the violence that took place on January 6th, 2021. The kind of extremism that fueled the January 6th insurrection is alive and well in the NH GOP today. This is the full list of the 30 NH GOP House members who voted against allowing a resolution condemning the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021 and who never clarified their position otherwise: Glen Aldrich (R-Belknap 02), James Allard (R-Merrimack 21), Aidan Ankarberg (R-Strafford 10), Harry Bean (R-Belknap 02), Melissa Blasek (R-Hillsborough 21), Barbara Comtois (R-Belknap 07), William Foster (R-Hillsborough 05), Fenton Groen (R-Rockingham 35), Gary Hopper (R-Hillsborough 02), Gregg Hough (R-Belknap 03), Mac Kittredge (R-Strafford 12), Melissa Litchfield (R-Rockingham 11), Dick Marston (R-Hillsborough 19), Mark McConkey (R-Carroll 03), Jeanine Notter (R-Hillsborough 21), Russell Ober (R-Hillsborough 37), Tom Ploszaj (R-Belknap 01) Kevin Pratt (R-Rockingham 03), James Qualey (R-Cheshire 11), Skip Rollins (R-Sullivan 06), Terry Roy (R-Rockingham 32),  Matthew Santonastaso (R-Cheshire 14), Norman Silber (R-Belknap 02), Denise Smith (R-Hillsborough 37), Michael Sylvia (R-Belknap 06), Dave Testerman (R-Merrimack 02), Scott Wallace (R-Rockingham 12), Mark Warden (R-Hillsborough 15), David Welch (R-Rockingham 13), Kenneth Weyler (R-Rockingham 13).