Weeks before election, state appeals ruling striking down proof-of-citizenship voting law
A month after a federal judge struck down a law requiring hard proof of citizenship to register to vote in New Hampshire, the state Attorney General’s Office has requested a stay of the decision while it appeals.
On May 28, Judge Samantha Elliott of the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire ruled that the Republican law imposes an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote.
Because of that ruling, first-time voters do not currently need hard proof of citizenship to register for the September state primary and November general elections, though they will need proof of identity, age, and domicile. The state’s motion, if successful, would allow the new proof-of-citizenship law to take effect this fall.
The frozen law, which was passed via House Bill 1569 and took effect just after the 2024 presidential election, required people registering to vote for the first time in New Hampshire to produce documentary evidence, such as a passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or other document, that they are U.S. citizens or be denied registration, with no exceptions. It eliminated the previous option for a voter to sign a “qualified voter affidavit” in which they testified on penalty of voter fraud charges that they were a U.S. citizen in order to register to vote without presenting those documents.
https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2026/06/25/weeks-before-election-state-appeals-ruling-striking-down-proof-of-citizenship-voting-law/