Republican Fears of Voter Fraud Dismissed by New Hampshire Judge

(Bloomberg) -- A New Hampshire judge struck down a Republican-led law that he said made it “needlessly complex” for residents to register to vote on the day of an election without proof of their home address and threatened stiff fines and even jail time for violations.

The “complicated and confusing” forms required by the 2017 law will increase registration times, cause longer lines at the polls and suppress voter turnout in violation of the state constitution, Hillsborough Superior Court Judge David A. Anderson ruled Thursday in Manchester.

The law was found to be a particular barrier to voting for young people, college students and low-income residents who are more likely to move around or be deterred by threats of steep fines. The judge rejected the state’s references to voter fraud, saying the record at trial showed the law wasn’t likely to deter someone who wanted to cast an illegal ballot.

“Although the legislative record is practically overwhelmed with references to voter fraud, the reality is that voter fraud is virtually non-existent in this state, a fact that the state conceded at trial,” the judge wrote.

The suit was filed in 2017 by the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire and sponsored by Priorities USA, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

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