Out-of-state college students can still vote in New Hampshire, but they can no longer use their student ID to prove their identity. Students can instead use a driver’s license from any state, a passport, or a military ID.
The Secretary of State’s office is circulating step-by-step guidance for students in light of a new state law that forbids students from using their school ID to register to vote or cast a ballot. The law, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in April, will be in effect for the state primary in September.
To vote, students must be U.S. citizens and at least 18. They can vote in the district where they attend school, as long as they spend most of the year living in that town or city. If their ID does not have their local address, students can prove residency with a piece of mail showing that address.
Voting rights advocates have warned that the new law will pose challenges for poll workers in college towns where students are used to using their student ID to vote.
This is the Republicans’ most recent effort to tighten state voting laws. Two years ago, lawmakers passed legislation requiring voters to prove their citizenship to register, a change considered one of the strictest in the nation. That law is being challenged in federal court.
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