A federal judge has invalidated a New Hampshire law that restricted new voters from using a sworn affidavit to confirm their citizenship in lieu of official documents like a birth certificate or passport. The ruling, delivered by Judge Samantha D. Elliott of the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, asserted that eliminating affidavits as a means of citizenship proof imposes an unjustifiable burden on voting rights, violating the First and 14th Amendments.
The decision was made public on Thursday, and it immediately nullified the law that had been enacted in 2024 and signed by then-Republican Governor Chris Sununu. New Hampshire’s Justice Department, represented by spokesman Michael Garrity, announced plans to appeal the ruling. “The law represents a common-sense approach to voter registration and election administration designed to protect the integrity of our elections,” Garrity stated.
The law, considered among the nation’s most stringent voter registration requirements, faced a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several groups, including the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire. Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director of New Hampshire’s A.C.L.U., commented, “New Hampshire’s elections have always been safe, secure, and accurate. This law could have unconstitutionally and needlessly prevented thousands of eligible voters from casting a ballot.”
Judge Elliott observed that reports of wrongful voting in New Hampshire did not decrease following the law’s enactment. Similar volumes of reports were filed with the state attorney general in the year before and after the law’s passing.