New Hampshire must protect elections during this pandemic.
COVID-19 has upended the country and the Granite State, and it’s economic and social impacts are still unfolding. While the proactive, collaborative spirit our elected leaders have brought to the state’s virus response has been much appreciated, in that same spirit we must protect fairness in our elections.
The New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights have outlined policies that will help prepare for the assumption that COVID-19 will continue to be a factor in the fall and ensure that the 2020 elections are safe and accessible to all eligible voters for the September 8th primary and November general election.
No one should have to choose between their health and safety and their constitutional right to vote.
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To ensure this, planning to guarantee ballot accessibility to all eligible Granite Staters must start now.
The common sense solutions below are proposed with the assumption that they will not be long-term reforms, but will recede after the 2020 election.
- Allow no excuse absentee voting and mail a ballot to every New Hampshire voter.
- Establish online voter registration.
- Allow voter registration by mail.
- Create a statewide absentee ballot application website.
- Cut the red tape on returning absentee ballots by allowing voters to decide who they trust to return their ballots.
- Establish secure public places for returning absentee ballots.
- Appropriate additional state funds for public education and local election administration.
- Establish in-person Election Day protocol to both protect election officials and the public with considerations and safety measures.
A pandemic calls for creative, urgent actions. For a detailed course of action on how each of these common sense solutions could help the Granite State, click here.