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Bill would let state verify citizenship and pay for documentation for indigent voters, Secretary of State says
Summary
Secretary of State David Scanlon told the committee House Bill 365 would authorize the state to verify citizenship using federal or private databases and to provide vouchers for indigent voters to obtain documents such as birth certificates. He said two lawsuits challenging HB 1569 are pending; no injunction has been granted.
Secretary of State David Scanlon told the House Finance Committee that House Bill 365 would create a mechanism to help qualified voters who lack required paperwork by allowing state officials to verify identity and citizenship through available federal and private databases and by issuing vouchers to cover documentary costs for indigent voters.
"There is no single database at the federal level in this country that tells us whether a person is a citizen or not," Scanlon said, describing the bill as a way to "temper the strict requirement in the bill to help those voters who are actually qualified to vote to be able to exercise that right." He said the measure would permit searches of other state, federal and private databases and, when verification is possible, issue a form to permit registration.
Committee members asked how "indigent" would be defined; Scanlon said the bill leaves definition to be worked out and suggested it could be a statement by the individual that they cannot afford the cost of obtaining a document. He also said the division of vital records has created a state document for voters born in New Hampshire but that helping voters born out of state would likely require contacting out‑of‑state agencies or subscribing to private verification services.
On litigation: committee members asked about pending lawsuits related to recent voter‑qualification changes in House Bill 1569. Scanlon said two lawsuits are underway and in discovery; he said he was not aware of an injunction and that the law is proceeding.
Committee outcome: the work session closed with no committee vote recorded; members expressed support for tools to help the small fraction of voters affected but flagged implementation questions (definitions, workload on election day).
Ending: The committee asked the secretary to help define terms and implementation policies, and to consider training for clerks so they can make consistent, timely determinations when voters lack documentation.
