Lawsuit Challenges NH Student ID Voter Restriction

The New Hampshire student ID voter restriction law, House Bill (HB) 323, has come under scrutiny as the Coalition for Open Democracy filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to maintain the use of high school and college-issued IDs for voting purposes. The lawsuit targets the Secretary of State’s Office for barring student IDs from being used in the registration process, the absentee ballot request or at the polls.

According to Ben Horton, a legal counsel working on the case, the law impacts the voting rights of students, specifically those between the ages of 18-24 who do not have access to a driver's license. The lawsuit argues that the law adds an extra layer of bureaucracy to the voting process with no actual difference in the number of document types required.

The lawsuit claims that the law does not bar students from using IDs to register, but HB 323 was signed into law by Governor Kelly Ayotte in June and bars student IDs as a valid form of identification when obtaining a ballot.

The Secretary of State's office blocked the use of student IDs for registration, requesting an absentee ballot or checking in at the polls following the passage of HB 323. The Coalition's executive director, Olivia Zink, said that if you voted in 2025 or 2024, this year will be different and that the laws have changed a lot. House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson called for Republicans to allow students to use their student IDs, arguing that young adults deserve a real say in decisions that affect their lives.