Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan says the office is reevaluating its guidance to cities and towns after “handwritten confidential, non-public information” was found in the public voter checklists of more than 40 New Hampshire communities. Scanlan said his office conducts regular training with local pollworkers covering all kinds of angles of the state’s election laws, but they could do a better job explaining what information should and should not appear on those documents when training local election workers. “We talk to them about the proper way to mark a checklist,” Scanlan said. “In the past, though, I don’t think we have been specific saying that you should not put extraneous stuff on the checklist, because it’s a public document.”
The Secretary of State’s office discovered that nonpublic information was appearing in some public voter checklists last week while reviewing checklists it planned to share with the Trump administration’s election commission. The state is now holding off on sending any records until it’s sure all nonpublic information is redacted and shutting off public access to the local checklists available for public viewing at the state archives building.
The Secretary of State’s office is also asking local clerks to review their checklists for any nonpublic notes and, if needed, restrict public access to those documents, too.
Some of the confidential information found in the public checklists included details about voters who were under domestic violence protective orders and, under state law, were therefore entitled to have their personal information shielded.
Full Article: Sec. of State’s Office Examines Processes After Disclosure of Nonpublic Info on Voter Checklists | New Hampshire Public Radio.