Senate republicans support secure elections

Concord, NH – Today the New Hampshire Senate passed SB 631-FN, authorizing online voter registration. Senator Regina Birdsell (R-Hampstead), Senator James Gray (R-Rochester) and Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) issued the following statements:

“This legislation puts the cart before the horse and needs to be carefully studied before it becomes law,” said Senator Regina Birdsell (R-Hampstead). “There is currently legislation in the House to create a study commission, bringing together the necessary groups, to determine the needs for a New Hampshire online voter registration system. That study commission should be allowed to complete their work before rushing to implement a program that may not meet the needs of New Hampshire.”

“New Hampshire does not have a voter registration problem,” said Senator James Gray (R-Rochester). “According to the Secretary of State’s office, there are around 30,000 eligible unregistered voters in New Hampshire, most of whom would continue to be unregistered even if we had online registration. We are trying to solve a problem that currently does not exist and HAVA funds would be better spent on other programs.”

“There are too many unanswered questions to pass this kind of legislation,” said Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry). “There are no details on how the system would be set up or the safeguards that would be put in place. Our same day registration process has worked well for many years, giving every Granite Stater the opportunity to vote. This bill is not ready for prime-time and is not ready to become law.”