NH restores the student ID as a valid ID for voting
25 June, 2013
category: Education
New Hampshire student ID cards have been restored as a permanent valid means of identification for voting within the state, according to UnionLeader.com.
The state’s current law requires voters to sign a statement declaring they are subject to all laws that apply to residents. This includes laws requiring a driver to register a motor vehicle and apply for a New Hampshire driver license within 60 days of becoming a resident, which could potentially “freeze out” some eligible voters, such as visiting college students.
Under the recent agreement, the House removed any reference to motor vehicle laws. And the amendment that will now go on to the full House and Senate for final approval specifies that a “valid student identification card” must include a photo and be issued by “a college, university, or career school in New Hampshire and approved to operate or licensed to operate in New Hampshire.”
In addition to student IDs, the proposal would continue to require a driver license, an armed services identification card, or a United States passport or pass card. Also acceptable under the proposal will be cards issued by any public high school in the state or non-public high schools “accredited by a private school accrediting agency that is recognized” by the state Department of Education.
Furthermore, the proposal requires any college or university of the state university system that issues identification cards after January 1, 2014 to include a date of issuance. The proposals says the “any” photo ID would be acceptable up to five years after its expiration, but student ID cards, even without an expiration date, will be acceptable at any election prior to September 1, 2018.