Officials in the Queen City could remove up to 8,200 people from its voter rolls in the coming months as part of a citywide “checklist verification” process. Starting on Thursday, the Office of the City Clerk will send postcards to 8,200 residents who have not voted according to its records since the 2008 election. City Clerk Matt Normand said the goal was to keep the voter list as up to date as possible to avoid a large and complicated state-mandated purge in 2020. “Periodic verification avoids a major purge of tens of thousands of voters during the state-mandated 10-year checklist purge, which stresses the office and ward officials for those looking to re-register once in any of the subsequent eight citywide elections held at Manchester polls,” Normand said in a statement announcing the move.
Normand said in an interview that Nashua did something similar in 2005, midway between the 10-year statewide purges.
The last state purge, in 2011, resulted in 11,000 voters being removed from the Manchester voter list.
The cards will explain how to register to vote. The process involves going to the clerk’s office with valid photo identification and proof of domicile, such as a valid state vehicle registration, utility bill or pay stubs with the resident’s Manchester address.
Voters who do not re-register will be removed from the voter list, Normand said.
Residents can still register up to and on Election Day, under state law.
Full Article: 8,200 Manchester residents could be cut from voter rolls | New Hampshire Politics.