New Hampshire

Confusion Over New Law Could Threaten Young Voter Turnout in NH

It was one of two bills aimed at tightening access to the ballot box passed by the state's GOP-controlled Legislature

Ryan Mcbride/AFP via Getty Images, File

A new voting law in New Hampshire is causing confusion among college students, threatening to dampen turnout among a key Democratic voting bloc in a state where the margins of victory in 2020 could be razor-thin, NBC News reported.

The law, known as House Bill 1264, requires students and other transient people to pay New Hampshire motor vehicle licensing and registration fees if they vote and drive there, creating new logistical and financial hurdles in a state where car registration can cost hundreds of dollars.

It was one of two bills aimed at tightening access to the ballot box passed by the state's GOP-controlled Legislature in the wake of the 2016 election, in which Donald Trump lost New Hampshire by less than 3,000 votes and Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte lost her Senate seat by an even smaller margin.

Republicans said the law, signed by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu in July 2018, was necessary to make elections fair and fight claims, which are still unproven, of significant voter fraudBut while students expressed frustrations over trips to the Division of Motor Vehicles and the expense (driver's licenses can cost $50 and up, and car registrations are easily $300), they say the biggest problem with HB 1264 is the bureaucratic maze it's created, leaving younger voters uncertain of their voting rights and their legal requirements.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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