New Hampshire election chief gives update on efforts to boost voter confidence

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire secretary of state’s office soon will have a new staffer dedicated to voter education just as legislation making significant changes to the same-day registration process could be taking effect.

Secretary of State David Scanlan described the new position Monday to former members of a bipartisan committee he created in 2023 to assess voter confidence in the state’s elections. In a final report 16 months ago, the committee concluded that New Hampshire elections are well-run, the results are accurate and there is no evidence of widespread fraud. And it made more than a dozen recommendations, most of which have been enacted, Scanlan said.

The new staffer, who previously worked for a school district, will tackle two of the recommendations: expanding voter education efforts and ramping up recruitment of poll workers, Scanlan said. That will include reaching out to schools, veteran groups and others, he said.

“We’ve done very little direct education efforts with the public,” he said. “We want to go to the next level.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers are close to passing legislation that will need to be explained to voters and election workers alike. A pair of similar bills would require those seeking to register to vote at the polls to show documents verifying their identity, domicile, age and U.S. citizenship.

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