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Testimony before subcommittee flags absentee‑ballot affidavit and chain‑of‑custody concerns
Summary
A lengthy witness testimony argued New Hampshire’s absentee affidavit process was altered in the 1979 recodification and that changes to the affidavit envelope and moderator duties have created chain‑of‑custody and audit problems for absentee ballots.
A New Hampshire House Election Law Subcommittee hearing on Friday included extended testimony from a citizen who said changes to the state’s absentee‑ballot affidavit process have weakened verification and the chain of custody for absentee ballots, raising recount and equal‑protection concerns.
Daniel Richard, an Auburn resident who said he has litigated election matters to the state Supreme Court, told the panel he has documented a historical change in which a notary‑style “affidavit envelope” used for absentee ballots was altered after a 1979 recodification of election statutes. Richard said the change shifted responsibilities from moderators and local officials to an administrative election procedure manual and that the manual cannot substitute for statute.
“We now have a lawful chain of custody” when…
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