As the fight continues over a slew of new voting laws passed by Republicans across the country in 2011 — including requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls, a measure that could hurt Democrats in the 2012 presidential election — the media and political scrum over the issue alone has caused major confusion in some key primary states. In New Hampshire, various voting-rights groups are especially concerned that misinformation mightaffect voters in Tuesday’s primary races.
Though a number of bills were passed in the state legislature last year that would require a photo ID, Gov. John Lynch (D) rejected the bills. There is currently no law in the state that requires a photo ID to get a ballot. But that fact never resonated with folks who for more than a year had heard the constant drumbeat that New Hampshire was soon to join other states that had passed such laws.
Some major news outlets, including NBC Nightly News, lumped New Hampshire into a list of other states that would be asking for ID at the polls or otherwise implementing new voter laws. Other smaller outlets followed suit. Cities and towns within New Hampshire seemed to be confused about who was eligible to vote and with what, according to voters’-rights groups.
Full Article: In New Hampshire, Rumored Voter ID Laws Confuse Electorate.