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New Hampshire legislature overrides governor’s voter ID veto

Justin Green Contributor
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On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate and House of New Hampshire overrode Democratic Gov. John Lynch’s veto of Senate Bill 289, which requires photo identification to be presented when voting. The override required a two-thirds majority in each chamber. It cleared the Senate by a margin of 18-5 and the House by 231-112.

Lynch had previously expressed concerns that voter ID laws would limit the constitutional right of citizens to vote. In a press release, he stated that “SB 289 would put into place a photo identification system that is far more restrictive than necessary.”

Republicans disagreed with Lynch: “Today, our citizens have to show an ID to get on a plane, on a bus, to pick up a package and to enter a federal building,” House Majority Leader Pete Silver stated. “It certainly is not a major imposition to ask for a driver’s license or other ID in order to protect the integrity of voting.”

New Hampshire experienced national attention in January when it was announced that James O’Keefe, a documentary filmmaker and conservative activist, had recorded footage showing New Hampshire election workers giving out ballots in the names of dead voters at multiple voting precincts during the state’s primary election.

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