Coalition Sues to Block New Hampshire Student ID Voting Ban Before Sept. 8 Primary
Updated
Updated · Concord Monitor · Aug 13
Coalition Sues to Block New Hampshire Student ID Voting Ban Before Sept. 8 Primary
3 articles · Updated · Concord Monitor · Aug 13
Summary
A federal lawsuit filed Aug. 11 in Concord seeks injunctions stopping New Hampshire’s student ID ban before the Sept. 8 state party primary.
HB 323, signed June 2, removed student IDs as valid proof of identity for getting a ballot; plaintiffs also challenge Secretary of State David Scanlan’s April 23 directive extending the ban to voter registration.
The Coalition for an Open Democracy argues the rules disproportionately burden 18-to-25-year-olds, who are less likely to have driver’s licenses and may have to pay $20 for a state ID.
The suit says New Hampshire gives older voters looser alternatives—such as expired licenses, free state IDs for some seniors, and nursing-home verification—while citing no evidence of nonresident voter fraud.
Plaintiffs cast the case as the latest fight over youth voting rights in New Hampshire after earlier student-domicile restrictions and a 2024 voter ID law were struck down.