New Hampshire creates voter confidence commission

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire has a great monitor document with regards to elections, however it might profit from a voter confidence fee to handle residents’ considerations in a time of political polarization, its new secretary of state mentioned Tuesday.

“It’s clear to me that for a while now, just a few years, that there is only a decline, each nationally and within the state of New Hampshire, on normal voters’ perception in regards to the accuracy of election outcomes,” David Scanlan mentioned at a information convention from his Statehouse workplace.

He added, “I felt that it is actually essential to provoke a dialogue on that subject — a really public one — involving some very succesful folks with various pursuits, so we form of unravel why we discover ourselves in a scenario, and the way we will put the brakes on it and switch that development round.”

Scanlan changed Invoice Gardner, who retired in January after 45 years of overseeing elections, the state archives and different divisions. Scanlan had served as deputy secretary of state for 20 years.

The announcement got here months after an audit of a legislative race in Windham, the place a discrepancy drew the eye of former President Donald Trump and his supporters searching for to bolster unfounded claims of election fraud.

The audit confirmed the reason for the discrepancy was not a vote counting machine, however a separate machine used to fold absentee ballots. However those that reject that conclusion have been pushing for both eliminating automated counting machines or performing audits.

Scanlan mentioned New Hampshire’s elections are sound as a result of the system is decentralized, the place “actually hundreds” of regionally elected and appointed native election officers conduct elections.

“Due to that it’s a very human course of, which must also be understood to be not an ideal course of,” he mentioned.

The Windham matter was a human mistake “performed in good religion to attempt to make the system extra environment friendly,” mentioned fee co-chair Bradford Prepare dinner. He additionally heads the state’s Poll Regulation Fee, which addresses election disputes and controversies.

“But, if folks assume there’s obtained to be evil in there someplace, properly, all we will do is current them with the info,” he mentioned.

The eight-member bipartisan fee, which incorporates activists, a member of assorted nonprofits, and a former legislators, desires to carry listening periods all through the state. Scanlan is beginning to give shows on the fee this week.

The opposite co-chair, former U.S. Rep. Dick Swett, a Democrat, recalled his 1996 U.S. Senate run towards Republican incumbent Bob Smith. Media organizations incorrectly declared him the winner primarily based on exit polls.

“I understand how issues can go slightly bit awry,” he mentioned. “We wish to be sure that the nice expertise that we now have in New Hampshire, the nice folks which can be collaborating within the polls, and the nice system that we now have may be saved as it’s, or improved” by the fee.