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State Senate backs bill to prevent student IDs from being used at the polls

State Senate backs bill to prevent student IDs from being used at the polls

Voters, right, enter booths to fill out ballots Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H., in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature. Photo: Associated Press/AP Photo/Steven Senne


CONCORD, N.H.- The State Senate has backed a bill that would ban high school and college students from using their school ID as an acceptable form of identification when casting a ballot in New Hampshire.

In a decision along party lines the bill passed in a vote of 16-8 with every Republican voting in support, while every Democrat voted in opposition.

Under the bill anyone looking to vote would be required to show a government-issued ID, whether it be a driver’s license, non-driver ID card, military ID or passport.

Sen. Dan Innis, R- Bradford says using a government issued ID would bring a level of consistency to make the job easier for poll workers.

The bill’s passage comes after the Senate previously passed a similar bill authored by Sen. Victoria Sullivan R-Manchester that bans the acceptance of student ID at the polls, which the House has yet to vote on.

However, the bill is receiving noticeable pushback, as Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins-Kwoka, D-Portsmouth claims the goal of this bill is to discriminate against younger voters who tend Democratic than those who vote Republican.

The bill is now headed for Gov. Ayotte’s desk, which she’s expected to sign.

 

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