Granite State Taxpayers (GST) supports Senate Bill 4 and recommends that those who are concerned with preserving representative government should advise the Governor to support SB4 as well.
Senate Bill 4 would establish a requirement that persons be a resident of New Hampshire for at least 30 days before voting.
The US Supreme Court Dunn v. Blumstein decision of March 21, 1972 declared lengthy residency requirements for voting in state and local elections unconstitutional and suggested that 30 days was an ample period. The Supreme Court has stated that “States have valid and sufficient interests in providing for some period of time – prior to an election – in order to prepare adequate voter records and protect its electoral processes from possible frauds.” Also, “States have the power to require that voters be bona fide residents of the relevant political subdivision.”
Currently, 47 states and the District of Columbia require a citizen to be either a resident, or to be registered to vote, or both, for a period of time before voting. “Voter residency or registration requirements of 20 days or more are in place in 40 states, and 27 of those require 30 days.” said Jim Adams, Chairman of the Granite State Taxpayers Board of Directors.
Click for Requirements by State
New Hampshire elections have featured a ballot question on a Constitutional Amendment concerning an income tax, and each election elects Representatives and Senators who will vote on taxes, fees and spending over their term in office.
“It is not right for a person to vote in New Hampshire to raise our taxes while not being subject to those taxes due to a primary residence and drivers license in another state” said Adams. “If bona fide residents get their votes diluted by visitors, the result is taxation without representation, which has been recognized as an injustice since at least 1775.”
“SB4 is an important step in insuring ballot integrity in New Hampshire elections,” said Adams.
Granite State Taxpayers is New Hampshire’s oldest statewide taxpayer association. Founded in 1990 by former Governor Mel Thomson and former State Senator George Lovejoy, our mission is to inform, educate and motivate New Hampshire taxpayers and to influence the legislature on their behalf.