Voter ID Reminders, Law Angering Some Concord Voters

Concord, NH – While talking to voters outside Concord’s Ward 5 polling location, Democrat Jackie Cilley appeared to make a verbal commitment to look at potentially repealing New Hampshire’s new if elected.

Voters at the polls on Sept. 11, were given a handout published by the explaining the need for an ID in order to vote for any election after Nov. 1, 2012.

Ward officials were asking for IDs at the polls today even though people can still vote without showing their IDs. For the general election in November, voters will be asked for an ID and if they don’t have one, will be permitted to vote with a “challenged voter affidavit.” Any election after Sept. 1, 2013, will require a license, state ID, armed services ID, passport, government employment ID with a photo, a valid student ID, another photo ID approved by ward officials and clerks, or visual verification of the person by an official at the polling location.

One voter upset about the new law was musician RP Hale, a teacher at , who, in an exchange with Cilley, likened the law to the Nazis requesting identification papers, adding that it made him want to offer a Hitler salute.

“If you get in the corner office you gotta get rid of this,” Hale said, holding out the notice to her.

“Oh yes ... that’s the … yes, I got mine,” Cilley said, laughing.

“It’s like, ‘show me your papers,’” he said.

“Right,” Cilley said.

“I declined it,” Hale then stated.

“That’s what we’re hearing across the state,” Cilley said.

“Good for you,” said Kenneth Roos of SEA/SEIU 1984, who was holding a Cilley sign at the polling location.

“And I’m going to decline this November as well,” said Hale.

“I did as well,” Roos added.

“It’s all I can do to keep from giving the Hitler salute when I see stuff like this,” Hale said.

Hale’s wife, while talking with Cilley, said she didn’t have a problem with the law.

“It was a solution in search of a problem,” Cilley said, while speculating that the Voter ID laws seemed to be a concerted effort by Republicans to suppress votes for Democratics. She stated that there were stories coming from some states with heavy Republican areas extending hours for voter registration while Democratic areas were not having their hours extended as well as long drives for seniors to get official identification in preparation for the general election.

“This seems to be an agenda to shut down certain voting groups from voting,” she said.

“Yes, like mine, I’m a Hispanic Mexican … and I resent this stuff,” he said.

Cilley explained that Gov. did try to veto the bill. She then said, “I think that is going to be looked at again” and thanked Hale and his wife for their votes.

Concord wasn’t the only community that experienced bumps associated with Voter ID. In Exeter, some Democrats , an apparent protest of the new law. , several voters said they had IDs but refused to show them as a matter of principle.