Thread: N.H. Election officials to take pictures of voters who show up without picture ID

N.H. Election Officials Ready for Voter ID Law

By Nora Doyle-Burr
Valley News Staff Writer
Thursday, January 28, 2016
(Published in print: Thursday, January 28, 2016)

West Lebanon — Election officials from across the Upper Valley gathered Wednesday evening at the Fireside Inn & Suites to prepare for the presidential primary on Feb. 9 — the first time New Hampshire’s a photo-requirement portion of New Hampshire’s voter identification law will be in effect statewide.

Some of the approximately 100 election officials who turned out expressed concerns about the law, which first took effect in 2012, including the way the law allows election officials to identify voters they recognize who lack proper photo identification.

“Our moderator does not want us to identify people at the polls,” said Betsy McClain, Hanover town clerk.

She said Hanover election officials will be requiring everyone without a photo ID to complete a challenged voter affidavit to ensure there’s no perception of preference on the part of the officials.

Under the law, a voter who arrives at his or her polling place without photo identification or verification of his or her identity by an election official can vote after completing a challenged voter affidavit. What is new this year is they will also have to have their photograph taken, though voters can opt out of that requirement through a religious exemption that can be attached to the affidavit.

Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan said taking Hanover’s approach would mean that more people would require follow-ups from his office following the election.

By law, voters who file affidavits will receive letters from the secretary of state after the election to confirm they participated in voting.

“We should take on the burden of tracking who we identify and not pass on that burden to you,” McClain said.

Melanie Cooper, moderator for Ward 1 in Lebanon, asked if anyone would be following up on the people election officials identify to ensure they are who they say they are.

“If I just vouch for someone, no one’s going to question that?” she asked.

Someone else could question the election official at the time, Scanlan said. The law requires that the identification be done aloud so that others in the polling place can hear.

He also recommended that officials keep a list of which official identified which voters without photo IDs in case of a later challenge.

Lebanon City Clerk Sandi Allard said Lebanon has created a form to use in keeping track of which election official identified which voter.

The voter cannot be required to sign such a form, “but at least it’s a record,” Scanlan said.

“Whatever works best for you,” he said.


Though the changes drew concerns, not many voters are expected to need to complete the affidavits. Less than 1 percent of voters come to the polls without photo IDs, Scanlan said.

This was true in Claremont, which complied with the law during its local election in November, as did most other cities in New Hampshire. Lebanon was an exception among New Hampshire cities. The primary will be Lebanon’s first election with the photo-requirement because it holds its local elections in March.

Claremont City Clerk Gwen Melcher, who was not in attendance at Wednesday’s training session because she had attended a previous training session, said in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon that Claremont’s first elections in November went smoothly.

“Our turnout wasn’t like it’s going to be this time, but it went fine in November,” Melcher said.

Across all three of the city’s wards, Melcher said, election officials only had to take about four photos.

Scanlan said he was aware of only one instance in November — in Keene, N.H. — where a voter declined to have his or her photograph taken and walked out of the polling place before casting a ballot.

“That was that voter’s choice,” he said.

Scanlan’s office has bought about 350 Polaroid cameras at around $60 apiece to provide to election officials around the state so they can comply with the new law, he said in an interview earlier this week.

The Polaroids spit out an instant color print, and also help satisfy part of the law which requires that any digital image be deleted in front of the voter once a print is made.

“There is no digital image in the camera that we have to erase,” Scanlan said. “It doesn’t store images.”

He also said the state had gotten a “good price” on Polaroid film.

If the Polaroids break, there is a clause in the law that permits the moderator to allow voters without photo IDs to submit affidavits without photos, Scanlan told the election officials.

But, he said, “an angry voter is not a technical problem.”

Assistant Attorney General Stephen LaBonte warned election officials against hanging signs in polling places that might be perceived as deterring voters who lack photo identification.

“You have to be real careful not to have any language that someone would construe as requiring identification,” he said.

In response to a question from the audience, LaBonte said that people should not expect to see a report from his office describing the effectiveness of the law in reducing voter fraud anytime soon.

While he said his office could work to put together such a report, he couldn’t say when it might be ready.

“Over the past few years our resources have just been cut,” he said.

He noted that since he came into his position following the 2012 election, there has been at least one person convicted of a felony for voter fraud in New Hampshire, and a couple of others faced civil actions due to a lack of sufficient evidence for criminal convictions.

Scanlan urged those who may oppose the law to contact their legislators. “The Legislature creates the laws (and it’s the) responsibility of our agencies to carry out the laws,” he said.

Voter identification laws also are on the minds of those at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire.

The ACLU sees New Hampshire’s new law as part of a nationwide trend toward increasing restrictions on voting, according to a Wednesday press release from the group.

“These restrictions target particular populations, including college and university students,” according to the release.

“New Hampshire is no exception.”

The ACLU hopes to empower college students to take control of their voting rights and to discourage the passage of new laws restricting such rights.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213. Staff writer John Gregg contributed to this report.

http://www.vnews.com/news/20753909-9...-for-voter-law

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

“There is no digital image in the camera that we have to erase,” Scanlan said. “It doesn’t store images.”

Not true. A camera is something which captures an image. If it isn't stored it isn't captured. Why didn't Deputy Secretary Scanlon consult someone who understands technology? I'm sure the state university system has plenty of them on the payroll.

They are Polaroid cameras.
When you take a picture the image is stored on the film which then comes out of the front of the camera and automatically develops into a picture in less than 2 minutes and leaves no image stored in the camera, is what they are trying to say.