The attorney general wants the state Supreme Court to take over the lawsuit filed by the state Democratic Party and the N.H. League of Women Voters over a new election law, Senate Bill 3, which establishes requirements for Election Day voter registration. The key issue is an April decision by Superior Court Judge Charles Temple ordering the state to turn over its voter registration database to the plaintiffs, who say they need the data to make their case. “The court exceeded its authority in ordering the release of the (database), and has put in jeopardy the privacy rights of over a million active and inactive New Hampshire registered voters,” according to the motion filed by Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards, representing the state in support of the law.
The lawsuit has been working its way through Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua since last September, when Temple temporarily allowed the new law to take effect hours before a special election in Belknap County, but prohibited implementation of the fines and penalties for any violations.
A bench trial in front of Temple has been scheduled for August, but the state wants the Supreme Court to reverse Temple’s ruling about the release of the database and remove the case from his jurisdiction.
In their response, attorneys for the Democrats and LWV-NH argue that their request for the database is reasonable, and that they are willing to agree to severe restrictions on its use.
Full Article: AG: Send voter suit over Election Day registration to state Supreme Court | New Hampshire.