.png)
Nashua, N.H. - This morning, Hillsborough County Superior Court South put penalties for violating SB 3 on hold and granted both parties standing, siding with the New Hampshire Democratic Party on both key issues. The decision was a response to NHDP filing a preliminary injunction against the law. The case will now be heard in full, with both plaintiffs granted standing. SB 3 would impose immense burdens on eligible New Hampshire voters, and is designed to have a disproportionate effect on young people, low-income, elderly and disabled voters who overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. "This order is a victory for voting rights in New Hampshire. The court's decision to strip the law of its penalties shows exactly how burdensome and intimidating they are. It proves the state cannot threaten people with criminal prosecution for merely registering to vote," said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. "This order offers no good news for the state, who will now have to argue the entirety of this law on the merits. We know the state's fight is a losing one, and one we will keep fighting, as NHDP has been has granted our day in court." "Most importantly, today's order means voters are protected from the law's intimidating penalties," continued Buckley. "This victory means that voters can exercise their most fundamental right to have a voice in our democracy without fear or intimidation. If even one voter is disenfranchised, we will stand up and fight it. We don't intend to disappoint the long list of American heroes and martyrs who have risked so much for the right to have a voice at the ballot box. We are confident the full law will be declared unconstitutional." SB 3's provisions:
Create two different forms for those registering more than 30 days out from an election and those registering within the 30-day period
Deny those without paperwork the right to register more than 30 days out from an election
Force registrants to read & sign a long & confusing document comprehension experts say is written at a graduate-student reading level
Lengthen lines and dissuade voters from turning out due to the longer and more complicated same-day registration requirements
Mandate that voters who signed an affidavit bring evidence to verify their intent to remain in the state within 10 days after an election
Subject those who failed to deliver that evidence within 10 days to investigation and possible civil and criminal penalty of and a $5,000 fine
Appoint investigators, who could be anyone from police to the town conspiracist, to come to your door in their completion of a voter fraud investigation against you
SB 3 is the first voter suppression law passed in the Trump era. It was based on the "belief" of voter fraud rather than any evidence. President Trump and Governor Sununu's lies about Democrats busing voters across the state border to vote illegally created a pretext for this suppressive law. Sununu signed it into law in July.
###