Contact:

Anna Pycior, apycior@demos.org, (212) 389-1408

Mary Boyle, mboyle@commoncause.org, (202) 736-5716

Strong Enforcement Of Voter Protections Needed In New Hampshire To Stop “Bullies At The Ballot Box”

New study grades New Hampshire’s ability to counter partisan poll watchers and wrongful voter challenges

READ “BULLIES AT THE BALLOT BOX” HERE.

As the elections approach, strong enforcement of voter protections is needed to prevent attempts to block New Hampshire voters from casting their ballot, according to a report released today by voting rights groups Demos and Common Cause. The study, “Bullies at the Ballot Box: Protecting the Freedom to Vote from Wrongful Challenges and Intimidation” focuses on voter protection laws in New Hampshire and nine other states where elections are expected to be close, or where large challenger operations are expected or have taken place during recent elections.

The study concludes that New Hampshire generally has mixed laws on the books when it comes to voter protection, and there is plenty of work yet to be done to protect voters from voter intimidation and attempts to kick eligible voters off the rolls.

True the Vote and other Tea Party-affiliated groups are reportedly recruiting 1 million volunteers to object to the qualifications of voters in targeted communities on and before Election Day, according to the study. These volunteers are being rallied to block, in their own words, the “illegal alien vote” and “the food stamp army.” Their stated goal is to make the experience of voting “like driving and seeing the police behind you.”

« Le vote doit être libre, équitable et accessible à tous, et les électeurs doivent connaître leurs droits », a déclaré Bob Edgar, président de Common Cause. « Il est important de maintenir l’intégrité de notre système électoral, mais les candidats, les partis et les militants politiques doivent se concentrer sur la persuasion et la mobilisation des électeurs, et non sur les intimider ou essayer de manipuler la loi pour les exclure de notre démocratie. »

“We call on elections officials and law enforcement at the state and federal level to stand ready to enforce the law and aggressively protect every eligible American’s right to vote this November,” said Liz Kennedy, report co-author and Counsel at Demos. “Wrongful challenges and intimidating tactics should never stand between Americans and their right to have their voices heard on the issues that affect their lives. There should be zero tolerance for bullying at the ballot box.”

New Hampshire has some unsatisfactory protections for voters from wrongful challenges to their right to vote before Election Day, but excellent protections protecting voters from challenges on Election Day. It has mixed protections from intimidation by partisan poll watchers on Election Day inside and outside the polls:

– For challenges to a voter’s eligibility made before Election Day, New Hampshire requires challenged voters to bear the burden of proving why they should be on the rolls. The study finds that it is unacceptable that a failure to respond to a filed challenge may result in automatic cancellation of a voter’s registration.

– Election Day challenges however, must be in writing under oath, and voters challenged on Election Day are entitled to vote a regular ballot after signing an affidavit attesting to the voter’s eligibility to vote, which is excellent.

New Hampshire prohibits interfering with voters within the guardrail, and doing so is a misdemeanor. New Hampshire prohibits any tactic of intimidation to compel a voter not to vote. New Hampshire should more clearly prohibit photography and video recording of voters.

The ten states reviewed in “Bullies at the Ballot Box” are Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. In addition to assessing the current state laws, the report provides recommendations to protect citizens from these large-scale, well-organized efforts to intimidate or block them from voting.

« Il est important que tous les participants comprennent les règles et respectent le droit de tous les Américains éligibles à voter sans intimidation ni obstruction. Nous voulons minimiser le risque que l'engagement civique positif ne se transforme en perturbation du bon déroulement des élections », a déclaré Liz Kennedy. « Les contestations injustifiées de l'éligibilité des électeurs peuvent entraîner des problèmes dans les bureaux de vote pour tous ceux qui souhaitent voter en épuisant les ressources, en distrayant les responsables et en allongeant les files d'attente. Elles menacent l'administration équitable des élections et la liberté fondamentale de voter. »

“Voting is one of our most fundamental rights,” said Common Causes’ Edgar. “No eligible voter should be blocked from casting a ballot, and the entire voting rights community is mobilized to protect voters’ rights.”

Common Cause et Demos font partie de la coalition Election Protection, la plus grande coalition non partisane de protection des électeurs du pays. Common Cause et ses alliés de la coalition recrutent et organisent des observateurs non partisans le jour du scrutin pour aider les électeurs à comprendre les règles de vote de leur État et signaler tout effort visant à décourager ou à intimider les électeurs. Grâce à la ligne d'assistance téléphonique 1-866-OUR-VOTE et à un déploiement complet sur le terrain, Election Protection aide les électeurs à surmonter les obstacles qui les empêchent de voter tout en collectant des données pour une réforme significative. Plus de 100 organisations ont uni leurs forces pour surveiller les bureaux de vote à travers le pays et fournir une aide, y compris une assistance juridique, aux électeurs qui rencontrent des obstacles pour voter.