Urge Representatives to Non-Concur on SB 287, SB 218, and HB 613e here

email advocacy

Dear [Your Elected Official],

If you are receiving this email, it means you are one of the representatives that has been selected to serve on the Committee of Conference for the following bills: SB 287, SB 218, and HB 613. These bills would impose excessive and unnecessary barriers on the absentee and accessible voting process—barriers that are especially harmful to voters who already face obstacles to the ballot box. Rather than expanding access and modernizing our elections, this legislation would further entrench policies that discourage participation. Measures like these are part of the reason New Hampshire ranked last in the nation on the 2022 Cost of Voting Index, and is currently number four. We urge you to veto these bills and instead work toward building a voting system that is secure, accessible, and worthy of every Granite Stater.
HB 613 was originally a strong, bipartisan effort to expand accessible voting statewide. But it has been hijacked with harmful amendments that require voters with disabilities to submit written requests months in advance just to access a voting machine. This unfairly shifts the burden from the state to the individual and creates obstacles no other group of voters faces. If this bill becomes law, voters with disabilities risk losing their fundamental right to vote unless they anticipate their voting needs months in advance, unfairly requiring more of them than any other group of voters. Proponents of the new requirements argue that some municipalities do not want to pay the estimated $600-per ballot machine programming fee—but this would be cheaper than facing another embarrassing lawsuit.
SB 287 creates new photo ID and notarization hurdles for absentee voters—particularly harmful for seniors and people without printers or internet access. While so-called "relief valves" were discussed ahead of the floor vote on SB 287, these are nowhere to be found in the amended bill. And do we really expect each of the states' elderly and disabled citizens who vote proudly by absentee to have the technological-literacy required to have their application notarized online? SB 218 would apply the already problematic HB 1569 to absentee voter registration, even while it’s being challenged in court and has already worked to disenfranchise upwards of 100 eligible voters during this years town meetings. Each of these bills ignores the realities Granite Staters face, focusing solely on improving perceptions of election security while ignoring the facts, which are plain and simple: New Hampshire's election system worked for at least six decades with no widespread fraud issues.
New Hampshire elections remain secure today, regardless of what some voters "perceptions" may be. All additional restrictions will do is work to keep eligible voters from casting their ballots. The Secretary of State’s own committee found no widespread fraud in 2022—do we place no value in these findings? The last-minute changes in the above bills also did not receive proper public input and threaten to roll back voting rights under the guise of security. Please reject these misguided efforts by voting to non-concur and protect the freedom to vote for all.
Thank you for all your hard work in the legislature this session—please vote to non-concur on HB 613, SB 287, and SB 218 to protect the most vulnerable portion of the electorate's right to vote without undue burden.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your City & State]

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Summary

The following bills would destroy voting access for New Hampshire's elderly and disabled voters. ❌ HB 613: <ul> <li>Towns would post a notice 90–180 days before an election if accessible machines won’t be available.</li> <li>Voters with disabilities would need to submit written notice at least 60 days in advance just to access a machine that lets them vote privately and independently.</li> <li>Unfairly shifts the burden from the state to the individual and creates obstacles no other group of voters faces; If this bill becomes law, voters with disabilities risk losing their fundamental right to vote unless they anticipate their voting needs months in advance.</li> </ul> ❌ SB 287: <ul> <li>Requires voters to submit photo ID in person, include a photocopy, or have their application notarized.</li> <li>Creates serious barriers for voters without access to printers, notaries, or who cannot travel in person.</li> <li>Undermines the purpose of absentee voting and risks disenfranchising elderly, low-income, and disabled voters.</li> </ul> ❌ SB 218: <ul> <li>Requires absentee voter registration applicants to submit multiple documents proving identity, citizenship, age, and domicile.</li> <li>Replaces current affidavits (already subject to perjury penalties) with burdensome scanning and mailing requirements.</li> <li>Disproportionately impacts voters with disabilities, those without internet/printer access, or those voting from overseas.</li> </ul>

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