After all my worries pre-primary, the primary went fine. People were cheery and nice, for the most part, and things went fairly smoothly. I realized that I had been worrying for nothing, until we heard a couple of people talk about how they were going to come and challenge people at the general election.
Sigh.
Under New Hampshire law, any voter can challenge any other voter registered in the town or ward in which the election is held. I understand that there are legitimate reasons to challenge someone’s identity, but since people are asked to state their name and identity at the polls, and to present written documentation proving their identity, I want to remind people that challenging a vote is not something to do lightly. A person who is registered to vote and who has documentation proving their identity has the right to vote.
And there are rules to challenges. Once a challenger issues a challenge, the moderator of the ward has to determine if the challenge is well grounded. If the moderator determines that the challenge is well grounded, the moderator shall not receive the vote of the person so challenged until the person signs and gives to the moderator an affidavit in the following form: “I, ________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) under penalties of voter fraud, that I am the identical person whom I represent myself to be, that I am a duly qualified voter of this town (or ward), and have a legal domicile therein.”
If the moderator determines that the challenge is not well grounded, the moderator shall permit the voter to proceed to vote. And no voter or appointed challenger shall challenge a person’s qualifications to be a voter at the election day registration table.
The rules are clear and once a challenge is asserted, it has to be put into writing.
As a poll worker, I accept that there are challengers and they are there to perform a duty. But I want them to think clearly about exactly why they are issuing a challenge and if it is legitimate, because each ward has one moderator. On Election Day, the moderator is the busiest person at the polls, followed closely by the ward clerk. That team is busy answering questions, making sure that there are enough ballots at each station, and making sure that the poll workers do their jobs correctly. So please try not to make frivolous challenges. Being a ward moderator is a lot of work, for not a lot of money. Same with the voter registrars, and ballot inspectors. We’re all poll workers.
And just who are Nashua’s poll workers? They are your neighbors – and perhaps your friends – who feel strongly about civic duty and democracy. I do not know the political party of most of the poll workers I work with; that is not my business. I am often surprised by the political parties of friends; that’s not my business either.
What is my business is making sure that the people who vote in Ward 3 are registered to vote in Ward 3 and that they are who they say they are. I may not like the candidate you want to vote for, but I will make sure that you get to vote for the candidate of your choice. Because that is what “for the people, by the people” is all about.
See you at the general election.
June Lemen can be reached at junelemen18@gmail.com
