HB 356-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2011 SESSION
03/04
HOUSE BILL 356-FN
AN ACT requiring valid photo identification to vote in person.
SPONSORS: Rep. Drisko, Hills 5; Rep. Hoelzel, Rock 2; Rep. R. Barry, Hills 19; Rep. W. Smith, Rock 18; Rep. Tucker, Rock 17
This bill requires that a voter present a valid driver’s license or nondriver’s picture identification card to vote in person. This bill also requires that the secretary of state pay the fee for a nondriver’s picture identification card upon presentation of a voucher from the town or city clerk.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
11-0235
03/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven
AN ACT requiring valid photo identification to vote in person.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Election Fund Reimbursement. Amend RSA 5:6-d, III to read as follows:
III. The secretary of state is authorized to accept, budget, and, subject to the limitations of this paragraph, expend monies in the election fund received from any party for the purposes of conducting elections, voter and election official education, the purchase or lease of voting equipment which complies with Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 107-252, reimbursing the department of safety for nondriver’s picture identification cards, election law enforcement, and improvements to related information technology, including acquisition and operation of an automated election management system. The secretary of state shall not expend any monies in the election fund unless the balance in the fund following such expenditures shall be at least 15 times the estimated annual cost of maintaining the programs established to comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 107-252.
2 Identification Cards; Voucher. Amend RSA 260:21, V to read as follows:
V. The fee for such card shall be $10 and is not refundable, except that no fee shall be charged to any person who, for reason of health or age, turns in his driver’s license before the expiration date of such license. For purposes of this section, reasons of age shall be deemed to apply only to those persons over age 65. A person who requires an identification card for voter identification purposes may obtain a voucher for the identification card fee from his or her town or city clerk. Upon presentation of the voucher, the fee shall be paid by the secretary of state from the election fund established under RSA 5:6-d.
3 Obtaining a Ballot. Amend RSA 659:13 to read as follows:
659:13 Obtaining a Ballot. A person desiring to vote shall, before being admitted to the enclosed space within the guardrail, announce his or her name to one of the ballot clerks who shall thereupon repeat the name; and, if the name is found on the checklist by the ballot clerk, the ballot clerk shall put a checkmark beside it and again repeat the name. The ballot clerk shall state the address listed on the checklist for the voter, and ask if the address is correct; if the address on the checklist is not correct, the ballot clerk shall correct the address in red on the paper checklist and the supervisors of the checklist shall cause the centralized voter registration database to reflect the correction. The ballot clerk shall request that the voter present a driver’s license or nondriver’s picture identification card. The voter, if still qualified to vote in the town or ward and having presented a valid driver’s license or nondriver’s picture identification card, and unless challenged as provided for in RSA [659:27-33] 659:27 through 659:33, shall then be allowed to enter the space enclosed by the guardrail. After the voter enters the enclosed space, the ballot clerk shall give the voter one of each ballot to be voted on in that election which shall be folded as it was upon receipt from the secretary of state.
4 Applicability. In accordance with RSA 659:13, as amended by this act, ballot clerks shall request that the voters present a driver’s license or nondriver’s picture identification card at all elections after the effective date of this act. However, notwithstanding such provisions, no person shall be denied the right to vote for failure to present a driver’s license or nondriver’s picture identification card prior to September 1, 2012.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.
LBAO
11-0235
Revised 02/01/11
HB 356 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT requiring valid photo identification to vote in person.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of State states this bill will increase state restricted expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2012 and each fiscal year thereafter. The Department of Safety states this bill will increase state highway fund expenditures by $9,250 in FY 2012. There will be no fiscal impact on state revenues, or county and local revenues or expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of State states this bill would require voters to present a driver’s license or non-driver picture identification card to obtain a ballot. The Department states in the event a voter does not have a driver’s license, the town clerk will issue a voucher for a non-driver photo identification card to be produced by the Division of Motor Vehicles and paid for by the Department from the election fund. The Department states currently there are approximately 950,000 registered voters and estimates 0.5%, or 4,750, of those voters may apply for a non-drivers photo identification card voucher to be reimbursed by Department. The Department states this could increase state restricted expenditures by $47,500 (4,750 X $10 non-driver photo identification card fee) in FY 2012 and in each fiscal year thereafter.
The Department of Safety states this bill requires voters to present a valid driver’s license or non-driver identification card to vote in person and requires the Department of State to pay for a non-driver identification card upon presentation of a voucher from municipal clerks using funds from the state’s election fund. The Department of Safety estimates it would take 50 hours, at $175 per hour, plus $500 for application form changes, for a total of a $9,250 (50 X $175 + $500) increase to state highway fund expenditures in FY 2012. The Department also states it issues approximately 24,083 non-driver photo identification cards per year and estimates 5.0%, or 1,204, of those could have its fee reimbursed by the Department of State under this bill.
The New Hampshire Municipal Association states there will be no fiscal impact on local revenues or expenditures.