CONCORD — A bill requiring students in the university and community college systems of New Hampshire to pass a civics naturalization test as part of their diploma requirements became a civics lesson itself on Thursday, passing the House by one vote.
The measure passed by a vote of 188-187. The House previously passed a similar measure that requires high school students to pass the assessment. If it becomes law, students who passed the test wouldn’t have to take it again in college. The Senate passed the high school bill on Thursday, and now will take up the college one.
Legislators from both parties lamented the dearth of civics knowledge and engagement among college students. But their opinions differed on whether administering and taking the online, 128-question U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services civics naturalization test would be an effective way to improve that.
“Let’s face it: Is knowing why Dwight Eisenhower was famous, or being able to name five of the 13 colonies — is that knowledge really important to students’ lives today?” asked state Rep. Douglas Ley, D-Jaffrey. “We have a thing called the internet: Look it up.”
Ley said he was concerned that requiring the test would not improve civics knowledge, but instead, trivialize it.
Other lawmakers questioned whether it would turn off out-of-state students who are considering applying to New Hampshire’s public university and college system.
There also was concern about how students from other countries would feel about taking the test, but Rep. Michael Moffett, R-Loudon, said they would be exempt.
Moffett, the bill’s sponsor, said requiring public college students to pass the test would create a broad knowledge base, a foundation common to all college graduates and raise the value of a college diploma. He said several other states, most recently Florida and Missouri, have similar requirements.
“If you’re comfortable with — well, I hate to say it — ignorant, low-information college graduates who can’t name their U.S. senator, much less know who their state rep is,” then vote against the bill, he said.
CONCORD — The New Hampshire House on Thursday passed a group of bills on voter eligibility, including two addressing photo identification.
The Republican-led House said the bills are designed to increase confidence in voting, but Democrats said they make voting more difficult.
One bill on absentee ballot applications allows for the “pre-verification” of a returned absentee ballot when it’s been mailed to a place other then recorded domicile of the voter. The voter would include photo identification or have their signature notarized. Opponents said the bill would likely discourage absentee voting.
Another bill would require someone who registers to vote without any identification to have a photo taken before voting is completed.
Opponents said the bill would wrongfully prevent legitimate voters from voting, such as nursing home residents that don’t have a recent form of identification and some people who subscribe to a religion that prohibits them from having a photo taken of themselves.
Other bills would modify procedures to remove from voter checklists deceased voters, duplicate names and people who have moved, and would require town and city clerks to make absentee ballot voter lists available for public inspection.
CONCORD — The New Hampshire House approved a bill Thursday to move the date of the state primary from September to June and allow an earlier filing period, giving more time for a prevailing candidate to raise money and campaign.
The bill, which passed the House by a vote of 195-174, would change the current time lapse of seven to eight weeks between the state primary and the general election in November to 19 to 20 weeks.
Gov. Chris Sununu said he does not support moving the state primary date. “I think the system we have in place is phenomenal. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said at his weekly news conference.
The House Election Law Committee said currently, 31 states hold their primaries in June or earlier, and 46 states hold their primaries before September.
The bill would move the state primary date from the second Tuesday in September to the fourth Tuesday in June. It would move the first day of filing from the last Wednesday in May to the fourth Wednesday in April.
Bill opponents said the filing period would create conflicts with town elections and redistricting procedures in seven cities, and reduce the time that third-party or independent candidates can collect nomination papers.