Alternatives to Affidavits

With the enactment of Senate Bill (SB) 418, voters in the state of New Hampshire who do not have  proof of residency, citizenship, identity, and age eligibility at the polls to same-day register to vote will need to send a copy of their identification within seven days of the election for their ballot to be counted. We were asked to identify possible alternatives to the affidavit process for this research project. Our research team first analyzed the specific factors surrounding election law in New Hampshire and the implementation of SB 418. We also conducted an analysis of municipalities more likely to use same-day registration and affidavits to vote. Despite our efforts and analysis, we could not identify same-day alternatives to affidavits suitable to address the concerns associated with SB 418. Instead, we identified preventative measures that may be taken, such as pre-registration and automatic registration efforts, which would mitigate the concerns surrounding the impact of SB 418 on the New Hampshire voting process. In addition, we highlighted emerging policies in states such as Arizona, Arkansas, and Maryland that are relevant to the impacts of SB 418.