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Not satisfied with waging war on marriage, or conducting a kangaroo court against a democratically elected State Rep, Republicans in Concord want to make sure young adults in the state cannot exercise their right to vote.
HB 176 would take away the right of students, military personnel and others to vote in the town in which they reside for school or duty unless they can prove they have lived there prior to study or service and plan to continue living there.
This bill was filed ostensibly to prevent voter fraud, which recent investigations by the Secretary of State's office have shown to be close to non-existent. Could the real reason be this little slip of the lip by Speaker O'Brien?
He said students in college towns register to vote on Election Day "and are basically doing what I did when I was a kid and foolish, voting as a liberal.
"That's what kids do," he said. "They don't have life experience and they just vote their feelings. And they've taken away the town's ability to govern themselves. It's not fair."
This bill is really about disenfranchising potential Democratic voters, nothing more. Often elderly parents of NH residents are moved to NH nursing homes from out of state. Should they lose the right to vote? Should renters lose the right to vote? They may not be planning to stay in a town or city long enough to appease the new Republican majority.
Back in the real world, the town administrator of Rindge, home to Franklin Pierce University, had this to say (quotes from The Monadnock Ledger, 2/10/11):
" It is hard to deny the fact that students represent a major portion of our population."
"Their presence here in town has been a contributing factor for retailers to locate or expand here."
The presence of the university and its students helps Rindge economically. Disenfranchising them would negatively affect the local economy.
Focused like a laser on jobs or on killing the Democratic Party?
The hearing on HB176 will be held Thursday, February 24 at 2pm in Reps Hall. This is not only about disenfranchising students and military personnel. Our two party system is at stake.
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