CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and House Majority Leader Pete Silva (R-Nashua) today offered the following comments in response to news that Governor Lynch vetoed Senate Bill 289, requiring a voter present valid photo identification to vote.
House Speaker William O’Brien
“The vast majority of New Hampshire voters will be disappointed to learn that in one of his last acts on legislation, this Governor has chosen to favor his party’s discrimination mythology about voters being asked for photo identification instead of supporting a common sense solution to the pressing need to ensure honest elections. This voter ID bill is a well-structured approach to ensuring clean elections. We need to protect the integrity of the ballot box and guarantee that the ‘one person, one vote’ principle is not diluted by dishonest votes. I call upon all candidates for governor to take a position in support of this reasonable legislation that ensures that our elections are as clean as possible and free of corruption.”
House Majority Leader Pete Silva
“Today, our citizens have to show an ID to get on a plane, on a bus, to pick up a package and to enter a federal building. It certainly is not a major imposition to ask for a driver’s license or other ID in order to protect the integrity of voting. The Supreme Court has consistently held that requiring a photo ID is not a barrier to our constitutional right to vote. Passing voter ID and strengthening voter laws in New Hampshire have been priorities of House Republicans and we will work to override this veto next week.”