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New Hampshire Governor Signs Bill Tightening Voter ID Rules

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New Hampshire Governor Signs Bill Tightening Voter ID Rules


New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed a new bill into law that will require unregistered voters to provide documentation, without exception, to prove their identity and citizenship before voting on Election Day.

The new law will go into effect on Nov. 11, which means it won’t impact the 2024 election on Nov. 5.

Under current law, New Hampshire voters can cast their ballots if they don’t show proper identification so long as they sign an affidavit requiring them to provide the documentation within seven days.

However, House Bill 1569, which was sponsored by state Rep. Robert Lynn (R), would eliminate the affidavit exception and require voters to use a photo ID to vote. New voters would also be required to show proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport.

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“We have a proud tradition and proven track record of conducting elections that are trusted and true. Looking forward to the next decade or two, this legislation will instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process,” Sununu, who chose not to seek reelection, said in a statement to multiple outlets.

The onetime Trump critic initially seemed poised not to sign the bill, claiming as recently as March that the current “process seems to be working pretty darn well.”

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Voter identification laws are often critiqued for trying to solve a near-non-existent problem, voter fraud, as some political leaders, including former President Donald Trump, baselessly claim it has swung past elections.

“This extreme legislation signed by the Governor will roll back voting access for all eligible Granite Staters,” said McKenzie St. Germain, campaign director for the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights, according to The New Hampshire Bulletin.

“Once this law goes into effect later this year, any voter may be turned away from the polls if they did not have the correct documents, creating massive new changes to New Hampshire’s registration system, burdening our election officials and disenfranchising eligible voters,” St. Germain added.

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Storms tapering off; Warm Wednesday ahead for NH with scattered evening showers

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Storms tapering off; Warm Wednesday ahead for NH with scattered evening showers


After several rounds of thunderstorms moved through New Hampshire on Tuesday, quieter and milder weather is expected Wednesday. OVERNIGHT Any lingering showers will taper off over the next few hours, with partial clearing overnight.Temperatures will fall into the 40s in northern areas 50s in southern parts of the state. WEDNESDAY Wednesday will start with a mix of clouds and sunshine. Highs are expected to reach the 70s before clouds increase. A system approaching from the west will bring scattered afternoon showers, though severe weather is not expected. UNSETTLED PATTERN CONTINUES LATER THIS WEEKThe unsettled pattern continues Thursday, with slightly cooler air, more clouds and occasional showers.By Friday, brighter conditions return, with highs rebounding into the mid to upper 70s. Temperatures will generally remain in the 60s and 70s into the weekend, with periodic chances for showers. Saturday currently looks like the driest day.This unsettled stretch is expected to end as a front moves through New Hampshire Sunday afternoon into the evening, shifting winds to the northwest just in time for Marathon Monday.Be weather aware! Download the WMUR app and turn on push notifications. You can choose to receive weather alerts for your geolocation and/or up to three ZIP codes. In addition, you can receive word when precipitation is coming to your area.Get storm coverage through the free Very Local app on your smart TV.Follow the Storm Watch 9 team on social media:Mike Haddad: Facebook | XKevin Skarupa: Facebook | XHayley LaPoint: Facebook | XJacqueline Thomas: Facebook | XMatt Hoenig: Facebook | X

After several rounds of thunderstorms moved through New Hampshire on Tuesday, quieter and milder weather is expected Wednesday.

OVERNIGHT

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Any lingering showers will taper off over the next few hours, with partial clearing overnight.

Temperatures will fall into the 40s in northern areas 50s in southern parts of the state.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday will start with a mix of clouds and sunshine.

Highs are expected to reach the 70s before clouds increase.

A system approaching from the west will bring scattered afternoon showers, though severe weather is not expected.

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UNSETTLED PATTERN CONTINUES LATER THIS WEEK

The unsettled pattern continues Thursday, with slightly cooler air, more clouds and occasional showers.

By Friday, brighter conditions return, with highs rebounding into the mid to upper 70s.

Temperatures will generally remain in the 60s and 70s into the weekend, with periodic chances for showers. Saturday currently looks like the driest day.

This unsettled stretch is expected to end as a front moves through New Hampshire Sunday afternoon into the evening, shifting winds to the northwest just in time for Marathon Monday.

Be weather aware! Download the WMUR app and turn on push notifications. You can choose to receive weather alerts for your geolocation and/or up to three ZIP codes. In addition, you can receive word when precipitation is coming to your area.

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Get storm coverage through the free Very Local app on your smart TV.

Follow the Storm Watch 9 team on social media:



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New Hampshire

New Hampshire towns opt out of hosting casinos – Valley News

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New Hampshire towns opt out of hosting casinos – Valley News


Eight New Hampshire municipalities have moved to block the opening of casinos within their borders, taking advantage of a new state law that gives communities the power to opt out of hosting gambling establishments.

Amy Manzelli, president of the board of Granite Staters for Responsible Gaming, said the law, which took effect last year, has been widely welcomed by residents who value the ability to have a direct say in which establishments shape the character of their town or city.

“In New Hampshire, there’s a pretty deep and passionate vein of local control,” she said.

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Henniker, N.H., Candia, N.H., Bedford, N.H., Barrington, N.H., Hancock, N.H., New London and Littleton, N.H., voted to bar casinos within their municipal boundaries. The city of Portsmouth, N.H., moved to block gambling establishments within its city limits within three months of House Bill 737 being signed into law by the governor.

Conway, N.H., is expected to hold a similar vote on April 14.

This is separate from the option towns and cities have to opt out of Keno, a state-run lottery game.

State Rep. Bill Boyd, R-Merrimack, who sponsored both the casino opt-out bill and the legislation allowing social districts in municipalities last year, said the two laws share the same philosophy: giving towns more control over what is allowed within their boundaries.

“I’m not surprised, but I’m very happy with the immediate engagement because it tells me that people are paying attention to local control and how they want their communities to look,” Boyd said of the number of towns that have already acted under the new law.

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When gaming establishments were first legalized in New Hampshire, they were envisioned as small, locally-owned operations. The industry has since grown dramatically, with gaming halls now functioning as large-scale entertainment venues complete with restaurants and live shows. New Hampshire’s gaming industry is on track to become a $1.1 billion market within three years, according to experts.

That rapid growth has left many communities uneasy about the demands large gambling venues could place on local infrastructure, including emergency services and traffic management, Manzelli said.

“New Hampshire doesn’t really have a great mechanism for making sure municipalities have a way of dealing with those impacts,” she said. “As the gaming industry evolved, the laws were written for your classic ‘Mom and Pop’ type bingo night, very small-scale establishments.”

The law includes a grandfather clause protecting casinos that are already operating or were in the pipeline at the time a community votes to opt out.

In Littleton, plans for a casino proposed by an out-of-state operator have been in development for at least three years. In February, a casino developer, GSG Littleton Propco LLC, purchased a property in town for a gaming establishment, according to state and town records.

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Since those plans predate the town’s opt-out vote, they would not be affected by it, Boyd said.

Under the law as written, it only prevents new casinos from being sited in communities that have passed such a vote.

“Even if towns like Littleton don’t want you, you’ve got 260-some odd cities and towns that exist in the state of New Hampshire. “I would think they (casinos) could find a community that would say, ‘we really want you to come to our community,’ and they will welcome them with open arms and work with their local system to make the facility happen,” Boyd said.



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New Hampshire

General John Stark Day celebrated in NH

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General John Stark Day celebrated in NH


General John Stark Day celebrated in New Hampshire

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TRAFFIC AND INTERDICT ILLEGAL ACTIVITY MORE EFFICIENTLY. TODAY, THE GRANITE STATE CELEBRATES THE LEGACY OF GENERAL JOHN STARK. THE SECOND MONDAY OF APRIL IS OBSERVED AS GENERAL JOHN STARK DAY. HE WAS A HERO OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND IS CREDITED WITH WRITING THE WORDS THAT BECAME NEW HAMPSHIRE’S MOTTO. HE WROTE, QUOTE, LIVE FREE OR DIE. DEATH IS NOT THE WORST OF EVILS, WHICH WAS LATER SHORTENED TO LIVE FREE OR DIE. A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY, EVERY GENERATION, MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE SERVED, ARE WHY WE ARE FREE. IT’S NOT JUST GENERAL STARK. HE SHOWED US THE WAY AND GENERAL WASHINGTON, BUT EVERY GENERATION OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY HAVE ENSURED THAT FREEDOM. STARK IS MOST WELL KNOWN FOR SERVICE AT THE BATTLE OF BENNINGT

The Granite State honored the legacy of Gen. John Stark on Monday. Gen. John Stark Day is observed on the second Monday in April. Stark was a hero of the American Revolution and is credited with writing the words that became New Hampshire’s state motto. He wrote “Live Free or Die: Death is not the worst of evils,” later shortened to “Live Free or Die.”>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go

The Granite State honored the legacy of Gen. John Stark on Monday.

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Gen. John Stark Day is observed on the second Monday in April.

Stark was a hero of the American Revolution and is credited with writing the words that became New Hampshire’s state motto. He wrote “Live Free or Die: Death is not the worst of evils,” later shortened to “Live Free or Die.”

>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go

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“A lot of people in our country, every generation, men and women who have served, are why we are free,” said Gov. Kelly Ayotte. “It’s not just General John Stark. He showed us the way, and General Washington, but every generation of men and women who have served our country have ensured that freedom.”

Stark is known for his service at the Battle of Bennington in Vermont.

He retired in 1810 and died in Manchester in 1822.

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