NH House Speaker Comments on Passage of Domicile Bill

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien offered the following comments on the passage of House Bill 1354, which would standardizes the definition of domicile for voting purposes to the definition of domicile for other purposes, such as registering a car. The bill passed 248 to 101.

House Speaker William O’Brien

“This bill is a first step to protecting the integrity of elections by making clear that in order to vote in New Hampshire, you must be a resident of New Hampshire. Our lax voting laws in New Hampshire were the cause of a national embarrassment last month when a video that showed, not once but several times, the ease that election fraud can be committed here. It’s time to reform the process to bring clarity and to ensure the integrity of our elections.”

NHDP - ICYMI: O'Brien a National Embarrassment for NH Again

In Case You Missed It: NY Times Editorial Calls Out O'Brien's Attempts to Deny the Right to Vote

Key Point: "Republicans usually don't want to acknowledge that their purpose is to turn away voters, especially when race is involved, so they invented an explanation, claiming that stricter ID laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. In fact, there is almost no voter fraud in America to prevent.

"William O'Brien, the speaker of the New Hampshire State House, told a Tea Party group earlier this year that students are "foolish" and tend to "vote their feelings" because they lack life experience. "Voting as a liberal," he said, "that's what kids do." And that's why, he said, he supported measures to prohibit students from voting from their college addresses and to end same-day registration."

New York Times: Keeping College Students From the Polls

[Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/opinion/keeping-college-students-from-the-polls.html]

Published: December 27, 2011

Next fall, thousands of students on college campuses will attempt to register to vote and be turned away. Sorry, they will hear, you have an out-of-state driver's license. Sorry, your college ID is not valid here. Sorry, we found out that you paid out-of-state tuition, so even though you do have a state driver's license, you still can't vote.

Political leaders should be encouraging young adults to participate in civic life, but many Republican state lawmakers are doing everything they can instead to prevent students from voting in the 2012 presidential election. Some have openly acknowledged doing so because students tend to be liberal.

Seven states have already passed strict laws requiring a government-issued ID (like a driver's license or a passport) to vote, which many students don't have, and 27 others are considering such measures. Many of those laws have been interpreted as prohibiting out-of-state driver's licenses from being used for voting.

It's all part of a widespread Republican effort to restrict the voting rights of demographic groups that tend to vote Democratic. Blacks, Hispanics, the poor and the young, who are more likely to support President Obama, are disproportionately represented in the 21 million people without government IDs. On Friday, the Justice Department, finally taking action against these abuses, blocked the new voter ID law in South Carolina.

Republicans usually don't want to acknowledge that their purpose is to turn away voters, especially when race is involved, so they invented an explanation, claiming that stricter ID laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. In fact, there is almost no voter fraud in America to prevent.

William O'Brien, the speaker of the New Hampshire State House, told a Tea Party group earlier this year that students are "foolish" and tend to "vote their feelings" because they lack life experience. "Voting as a liberal," he said, "that's what kids do." And that's why, he said, he supported measures to prohibit students from voting from their college addresses and to end same-day registration. New Hampshire Republicans even tried to pass a bill that would have kept students who previously lived elsewhere from voting in the state; fortunately, the measure failed, as did the others Mr. O'Brien favored.

Many students have taken advantage of Election Day registration laws, which is one reason Maine Republicans passed a law eliminating the practice. Voters restored it last month, but Republican lawmakers there are already trying new ways to restrict voting. The secretary of state said he was investigating students who are registered to vote in the state but pay out-of-state tuition.

Wisconsin once made it easy for students to vote, making it one of the leading states in turnout of younger voters in 2004 and 2008. When Republicans swept into power there last year, they undid all of that, imposing requirements that invalidated the use of virtually all college ID cards in voter registration. Colleges are scrambling to change their cards to add signatures and expiration dates, but it's not clear whether the state will let them.

Imposing these restrictions to win an election will embitter a generation of students in its first encounter with the machinery of democracy.

NHDP - NH VOTING GUIDE: Republicans Say What? A Top Ten Guide to Voting in the State of NH

We've been hearing a lot of mistruths about voting during the last few months, and as the primary approaches, the New Hampshire Democratic Party wanted to take a moment to clarify what you need to know about voting in the Granite State.

10. Granite Staters take voting rights very seriously. In fact, a federal court case defending college students' right to vote began with a student at Dartmouth College.

9. The voting age in New Hampshire is 18, just like it is in Texas and has been in the rest of the United States since 1971.

8. Yes, Herman Cain, New Hampshire's undeclared voters - those voters not registered with either party -  can cast votes in the party primary of their choosing.

7.       Despite Republicans' legislative efforts and erroneous signs at the polls, you don't have to show photo ID before casting your vote in New Hampshire.

6.       New Hampshire doesn't have a caucus. We have the first in the nation primary.  This year it has been scheduled for January 10^th, much to the chagrin of a former Massachusetts Governor who now has to avoid questions for another month.

5.       If you have any concerns or other questions about voting not answered in this guide, Bill Gardner is still the Secretary of State, and he's the guy to ask, despite Tea Party Champ Orly Taitz calling for his removal.

4.       President Obama is a U.S. citizen, and he will be on the Democratic Primary ballot on January 10^th. We encourage voters to support him.

3.       Despite what Speaker Bill O'Brien might tell you, "voting as a liberal" is not a valid reason to turn someone away from the polls.

2.       Calling your friends and supporters on Election Day and reminding them to vote is encouraged. Jamming their phone lines is not, and may land you in prison.

1. Despite what Mitt Romney and Rep. Charlie Bass believe, corporations are not people, and to be clear, they can't vote.

For a more serious take on attacks on voting rights, visit the DNC's new website: www.protectingthevote.org.

Karger Requests Investigations of Romney Residency & Releases New Commercial to Run During Monday's Debate

Karger to Hold New Hampshire Press Conference Monday, June 13th
Will File Request for Romney Investigations
Preview New Commercial to Run During Tomorrow’s Debate

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Presidential candidate Fred Karger will hold a Press Conference Monday, June 13th at 2:30 pm (EDT) at the Hilton Garden Inn, in the Manchester Boardroom, 101 South Commercial Street, Downtown Manchester, NH.  

Karger will announce the filing of formal complaints with Massachusetts Election and Tax officials over former Governor Mitt Romney’s questionable residency issues.  

Karger, a longtime political consultant, and now Independent Republican candidate for President, is sending letters requesting investigations on Monday to Massachusetts officials William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Commissioner Navjeet K. Bal, Department of Revenue. 

Karger contends in his letter of complaint that Romney, one of the leading Republican candidates for President, was illegally registered to vote out of a basement apartment in his son’s home in Belmont, Massachusetts for 15 months in 2009 and 2010.  The complaint questions whether this was the Romney’s “primary residence.”  The Romneys had sold their family home in Belmont in May 2009 and have estates in California and New Hampshire.

“There are many unanswered questions that I am asking both state officials to look into to see if Mr. Romney is adhering to the election and tax laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Karger.  “Mr. Romney got entangled in a similar problem when he “inadvertently” switched his residency to Utah back in 1999, and then attempted to run for Governor of Massachusetts three years later.  I have raised several very legitimate questions in my letter that need to be answered.”

Mr. Romney has an oceanfront home in La Jolla, California and a compound on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, both valued in excess of $12 million.  In various news accounts and interviews, Romney and others have indicated his principal residence is in one of those two states and not Massachusetts, but he claimed his principal residency in a basement apartment for 15 months.

“Here’s a very successful businessman worth upwards of $500 million and he is confused on where he lives and where he pays taxes?  It makes no sense.  Who could possibly believe that he and his wife were living in their son’s basement apartment?”

New Karger Television Commercial to Air During and Around New Hampshire Debate

Additionally, Karger will release and screen the very first issue ad of the 2012 campaign, Tyrannosaurs Rex, which will take on Big Oil, “the principal culprit of the high gas prices that are hurting families and destroying the American economy.”

Karger, who just missed qualifying for tomorrow night’s Presidential Debate, will be running his commercial during and around the Debate throughout New Hampshire and in Iowa.  The spot will run on New Hampshire’s WMUR TV and on CNN in Iowa and New Hampshire.  “I may not be on the stage at St. Anselm College, but I will be seen on TV,” said Karger.  

Fred filming his commercial at a Mobil station last week.

Filmmaker John Keitel produced and directed the 30 second commercial that will be previewed at Monday’s News Conference and a longer version will be up on YouTube.

NHDP - NH House Speaker on Hardball with Chris Matthews

O'Brien's reckless statehouse circus continues drawing national attention.

Concord, NH - Speaker O'Brien's reckless attempt to take away New Hampshire citizens' right to vote with HB 176 continued to be a national embarrassment for the Granite State on Chris Matthews' Hardball last night.  The bill would unconstitutionally deny active duty military personnel and college students the right to vote in New Hampshire elections, including the first in the nation Presidential Primary. 

At a recent 9/12 event, O'Brien voiced support for the bill saying that college students were "foolish," "voted their feelings," and were "voting as a liberal."  He also stated that this irresponsible attempt to infringe on individual rights would be part of the 'House Republican agenda' this year.

"Speaker O'Brien and his reckless unconstitutional agenda to strip New Hampshire citizens of their right to vote has become a national embarrassment," said Harrell Kirstein, press secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.  "It is anti-American to deny citizens the right to vote because of the way they vote.  In the United States, voters choose their elected officials, not the other way around."

In 1972, the United States Supreme Court ruled that limiting the right to vote for college students as HB176 does was unconstitutional.  The lead case, Newburger v. Peterson, actually originated in New Hampshire and the plaintiff was a student at Dartmouth College.

"People voting their feelings are going to be a major problem for O'Brien in 2012," continued Kirstein.  "He shouldn't be surprised when New Hampshire voters feel like throwing him and the rest of his party out of office."

HB176 is being voted on today in the New Hampshire House Election Law Committee.  During a public hearing last month, New Hampshire college Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians united in opposition to the reckless bill.