When Manchester voters elected a new mayor in 2023, one ballot was cast by a non-citizen who used the state’s lax election laws to vote illegally in the municipal election.
Naseef Bryan, a Jamaican citizen living in Manchester, has since been arrested and charged with wrongful voting. But if he tried it again this year, he would be turned away at the polls, thanks to a law passed last year — over Democrats’ objections.
On Tuesday, New Hampshire Secretary of State David M. Scanlan and Attorney General John Formella reminded Granite Staters of voter registration requirements ahead of upcoming city and special elections, underscoring changes under the state’s new voter ID law.
To cast a ballot in New Hampshire, voters must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and domiciled in the state. Residents can register at their local clerk’s office, at a supervisors of the checklist meeting, at the polls on Election Day, or — if they qualify — through the absentee process. Voters should check with their clerk’s office for local registration deadlines.
When registering, applicants must provide proof of identity, age, domicile, and, under the new law, citizenship. In the past, simply signing an affidavit swearing to be a U.S. citizen, as Bryan did, was sufficient.
Now, would-be voters must provide proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or naturalization documents.
“A list of acceptable documents individuals can use when registering to vote can be found in the secretary of state’s ‘Registering to Vote in NH’ document, which is posted on www.sos.nh.gov,” Formella and Scanlan said in their press release Tuesday.
“If an applicant does not provide acceptable documentary proof of identity, age, United States citizenship, and/or domicile, they are not eligible to register to vote.”
Polls show voters overwhelmingly support voter ID requirements, but New Hampshire Democrats at the state and federal levels have fought against them. All four members of New Hampshire’s federal delegation supported a bill in Congress to ban states from mandating voter ID, and every Democrat in the state legislature opposed the state law requiring proof of citizenship.
“Discouraging participation in our democracy is as anti-American as it gets,” said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
“Republicans can’t win without cheating,” added New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley.
Rep. Connie Lane (D-Concord), the top Democrat on the House Election Law Committee, has filed legislation to overturn the voter ID mandate.
Republicans say cases like Bryan’s highlight the need for proof of citizenship. They also point to the more than 10 million illegal immigrants believed to have crossed into the U.S. during the Biden administration.
“Democrats say a signature on a piece of paper counts as proof of citizenship—ridiculous,” said Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare), chair of the House Election Law Committee. “Manchester just showed why: non-citizen Naseef Bryan was arrested after allegedly voting in three elections. Registration should require documents, not self declarations.”
For questions about local elections, registration deadlines, and election dates, voters should contact their local clerks. The Secretary of State’s Voter Information Lookup tool is available at app.sos.nh.gov to find clerk contact information.
From the New Hampshire Secretary of State:
When registering, individuals will need to prove they are qualified. The proof documents listed below are the most commonly used forms of proof, but the lists are not exhaustive:
- Proof of identity and age – driver’s license, or government-issued photo identification, or passport/passcard.
- Proof of citizenship – birth certificate, or United States passport, or naturalization documents, or other proof of citizenship issued by the United States Department of State, or other reasonable documentation which indicates the applicant is a United States citizen.
- Proof of domicile – A NH driver’s license, NH non-driver ID, NH resident vehicle registration, federal picture identification, or government-issued check, benefit statement, or tax document with the current domicile address listed. If an applicant attests that they do not possess any of these, they can use a rental/lease agreement, or utility or other bill with the current domicile, or the Confirmation of Domicile Form (blank form provided by local election officials, which must also be signed by a person owning, leasing, or renting the domicile property).
