Judge orders NH to restore citizenship affidavit

A federal judge has ruled that New Hampshire must restore a provision allowing voter registration applicants to attest to their U.S. citizenship if they lack documentary proof. The decision, issued late Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot, marks a significant legal development in a national debate over voter eligibility requirements.

Judge Elliot found that changes made to the state's voter registration law in 2024 unconstitutionally removed the sworn affidavit as a method of proving citizenship. In her ruling, she wrote that the evidence shows this is the only method of proof available to a significant number of New Hampshire voters. The changes had taken effect last year after being signed into law two years ago by then-Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican.

The state's attorney general's office said it plans to appeal the ruling, defending the citizenship requirements as a commonsense approach designed to protect the integrity of elections. The legal challenge was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and other plaintiffs, including the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, and several individual...