Proposed Voting Option: None of the Above? For now, displeased voters can just stay h

Proposed Voting Option: None of the Above?

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Caroline Schaeffer
On February 5, 2014
http://ijreview.com

A New Hampshire State Representative has an interesting proposal for the voter who just doesn’t like their options: None of the above. Democrat Chuck Weed has filed a bill in the statehouse which would include a NOTA option on all ballots.

The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that the bill includes the provision that if NOTA receives a majority of the vote, a new election would be held.

Rep. Weed made his reasoning known at a House Election Law Committee hearing:

Our system of government is based on informed consent and it seems to me that ‘none of the above’ is a way that that consent can be withheld.

Opponents like Republican Rep. Perry suggest that this option would legitimize voter hostility.

New Hampshire politics are known for their quirkiness, so it shouldn’t surprise many that this is the third time this has been proposed in the state. Two other efforts failed, in 1991 and 1994.

One other state includes a “none of the above” option on their ballot: North Dakota. Republicans in the state have sued to remove it, to no avail.

Though an interesting idea, the Union Leader notes that there is little chance of passage. For now, displeased voters can just stay home.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/02/1131...g-option-none/