New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed a bill that tightens voter ID laws in the state for future elections.
The much-debated bill requires voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. Individuals must also show voter ID before voting.
The law won’t go into effect for 60 days after this fall’s Nov. 5 general election.
The bill was passed by New Hampshire’s Republican-led Legislature in May. It was in limbo for months until Sununu signed it Thursday.
Sununu said the bill will promote trust in elections, despite insisting the state’s elections are well-run, safe and secure, The Boston Globe reported.
The Hill has reached out to Sununu’s office for comment, but in a statement reported by the Globe, the governor said New Hampshire has a “proud transition and proven track record of conducting elections that are trusted and true.”
“Looking forward to the next decade or two, this legislation will instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process,” Sununu said in the statement.
In a post on social platform X, state Rep. Angela Brennan (D) said the bill is unconstitutional that and she and Republican state Sen. Jim Gray oppose it.
“Expect extensive and expensive lawsuits on NH taxpayers’ dime,” she posted. “Thanks, NHGOP.”
The legislation overturns the state’s affidavit system, which allows people who show up at the polls without identification to vote. This system will still be in place for this election, but critics of the bill say it will disenfranchise voters in the future.
In a statement, McKenzie Taylor, the campaign director for the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights, said the law now makes the Granite State the first in the country to require voters show proof of citizenship to cast a ballot.
“This extreme legislation signed by the Governor will roll back voting access for all eligible Granite Staters,” Taylor said. “Once this law goes into effect later this year, any voter may be turned away from the polls if they did not have the correct documents, creating massive new changes to New Hampshire’s registration system, burdening our election officials, and disenfranchising eligible voters.”