New Hampshire

New Hampshire jury acquits consultant behind AI robocalls mimicking Biden on all charges | Holly Ramer/Associated Press

A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden to New Hampshire Democrats last year was acquitted Friday of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate. Steven Kramer, 56, of New Orleans, admitted orchestrating a message sent to thousands of voters two days before the state’s Jan. 23, 2024, presidential primary. Recipients heard an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president’s that used his catchphrase “What a bunch of malarkey” and, as prosecutors alleged, suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November. “It’s important that you save your vote for the November election,” voters were told. “Your votes make a difference in November, not this Tuesday.” Read Article

New Hampshire House passes bill allowing voters to request their ballot be hand-counted | Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin

The New Hampshire House passed a bill Wednesday allowing voters to request that their ballot be hand-counted by cities and towns, even if their polling place uses machine counting. House Bill 154 would allow any voter to make that request to a poll worker; if they did so, town election officials would be required to deposit the ballot in an “auxiliary compartment” of the ballot-counting machine to be hand-counted after the polls closed. The legislation comes amid a conservative movement against the use of voting tabulators in recent years. It also comes months after the state Supreme Court ruled that New Hampshire voters do not have a right to have their ballots counted by hand in towns that use machines. Read Article

New Hampshire Governor signs bill requiring accessible voting machines in every town for local elections | Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin

New Hampshire cities and towns will be required to provide accessible voting machines for all elections after January 2025, according to a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu this month. House Bill 1264, signed by Sununu July 3, states that every municipality must “ensure that each polling place has at least one accessible voting system” during every election. And it creates a pilot program requiring the Secretary of State’s Office to share those machines with towns and cities in spring 2025. “Now those of us with vision and print disabilities will be able to vote independently and keep our votes private like everyone else,” said Jean Shriner, an activist, in a statement reacting to the signing Friday. “For me, as a blind person, it’s empowering and exciting.” Currently, the Secretary of State’s Office provides accessible voting machines to cities and towns only during federal elections – as required by federal law. That includes the September state primaries, the November general elections, and the presidential primaries. Read Article

New Hampshire Secretary of State announces 50% state match for locals to buy new voting machines | Kevin Landrigan/Union Leader

City and town election officials can get state reimbursement of $3,500 per machine to replace each of their aging electronic voting machines, the state announced Monday. The state will use $3 million in federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grants to towns that make these purchases through June 30, 2026, to replace any AccuVote machine in use for state and federal elections. The reimbursement is about half what each machine will cost local taxpayers. The money also could be used by communities that don’t need newer machines to buy electronic poll books, which local officials can use to more quickly enter voter registration information at the polls and report results once all ballots are counted. Towns that count ballots by hand will receive a one-time $3,500 grant to improve their process, Secretary of State David Scanlan said. Read Article

New Hampshire authorities charge Democratic operative behind Biden AI robocall | Derek B. Johnson/CyberScoop

New Hampshire authorities on Thursday indicted the Democratic political operative Steve Kramer for his role in creating and distributing an AI-generated robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden and urged the state’s voters to not cast their ballots in January’s primary election. Kramer, who has admitted to being behind the creation of the robocall, was indicted on 13 counts of felony voter suppression and 13 misdemeanor counts of impersonating a political candidate. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said he believes the charges “send a strong deterrent signal to anyone who might consider interfering with elections, whether through the use of artificial intelligence or otherwise.” Read Article

New Hampshire Secretary of State now backs using fed surplus to support replacing aging voting machines | Kevin Landrigan/New Hampshire Union Leader

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan expressed support for using surplus funds from a federal election account to assist cities and towns in replacing aging voting machines, marking a departure from his previous reluctance. Scanlan advocated against a House-passed bill that would establish a $3 million matching grant program, citing concerns about potential strings attached to federal grants. The move comes as New Hampshire faces challenges with its current voting machines, with officials scrambling to find replacement parts. Scanlan emphasized the need for flexibility in the program to address diverse community needs, proposing support for items like E-polling books and tablets. Read Article

New Hampshire: Vote-counting machine foes hoped for a surge of success. They got barely a ripple | Nick Perry and Holly Ramer/Associated Press

“Electronic machines will face the wrath of New Hampshire voters in March!” Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and ally of former President Donald Trump, crowed in a January fundraising pitch. Not quite. After initially targeting 55 towns, Lindell’s supporters gathered enough petitions to bring the topic up at 23 of the annual town meetings held this month to adopt budgets and settle other matters. Only Danville — population 4,500 — voted in favor of hand-counting ballots, and only for presidential elections in a decision that both the town’s attorney and the secretary of state say is unlikely to stand. Read Article

New Hampshire: Seven more towns reject a ban on voting machines | Amanda Gokee/Boston Globe

A proposed ban on voting machines was rejected by voters in seven more towns in New Hampshire, following efforts led by a conservative group, the New Hampshire Patriot Hub, which enlisted the support of Mike Lindell, known for promoting false claims about the 2020 election. Brookline, Newbury, Campton, Meredith, Tamworth, Ossipee, and Plymouth all opted to continue using voting machines, with the proposal failing in varying vote margins or by voice vote. The push to ban voting machines has faced resistance across the state, with previous rejections in five towns and Danville passing a measure requiring a hand count for the presidential election. Read Article

New Hampshire: Conservative group pushes ban on voting machines | Amanda Gokee/Boston Globe

A conservative group in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Patriot Hub, is advocating to ban voting machines in nearly two dozen towns across the state, arguing that hand counting ballots is more accurate. This initiative, appearing on 22 town meeting warrants, has sparked debate among voters and voting rights groups. While proponents believe hand counting is transparent and less susceptible to hacking, experts caution against it, citing research showing machine counts are more accurate. The push to ban voting machines has divided communities, with concerns raised about potential errors and logistical challenges associated with hand counting. Read Article

New Hampshire: Two Weeks Before Election, Windham Town Clerk, Deputy Announce Resignations | Evan Lips/NH Journal

Windham Town Clerk Nicole Merrill, whose handling of the 2020 general election drew national scrutiny, has withdrawn from her reelection bid just two weeks before Election Day, citing health effects from a January accident as a primary reason. Deputy Town Clerk Hannah Davis also announced her resignation on the same day, citing intense pressure and lack of support from leadership. The aftermath of the 2020 election in Windham involved a recount that resulted in significant discrepancies, fueling conspiracy theories and becoming central to the “Stop the Steal” movement. A forensic audit later attributed the issue to machine-folded absentee ballots misinterpreted by scanners. Following a state investigation, the appointment of a monitor was announced for the 2022 primaries due to town officials’ shortcuts, including the use of an uncalibrated folding machine and inadequate test ballots. Read Article

New Hampshire: The tangled web of corporations behind an AI robocall  | Derek B. Johnson7CyberScoop

An investigation into the origin of AI-generated robocalls targeting New Hampshire voters implicates Walter Monk and his Texas-based company, Life Corporation, in the scheme. Monk’s network of companies, specializing in political marketing and fundraising services, has raised concerns about the potential for AI technology to spread disinformation, particularly in upcoming elections. Monk’s involvement in political marketing firms and a complex corporate structure underscore the challenges authorities face in untangling the operation. While Monk and Life Corporation have not been formally charged, cease-and-desist letters and subpoenas have been issued by state and federal authorities, who are investigating potential violations of election laws. Read Article

New Hampshire authorities trace Biden AI robocall to Texas-based telecom | Derek B. Johnson/CyberScoop

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office has identified Life Corporation, a Texas-based telecommunications firm, and Walter Monk as responsible for AI-generated robocalls featuring the voice of President Joe Biden, urging Democratic voters to abstain from the state’s primary. The calls, created using deepfake technology, prompted concerns about election integrity and spurred an investigation involving state and federal authorities. Although Life Corporation and Monk have been implicated, further inquiries are ongoing. The FCC has issued cease-and-desist letters to both Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom, which facilitated the calls, with warnings of potential regulatory consequences. Read Article

New Hampshire robocall kicks off era of AI-enabled election disinformation  | Derek B. Johnson/CyberScoop

Kathy Sullivan, treasurer of a super PAC running a write-in campaign for President Joe Biden in the New Hampshire primary election, experienced what appears to be the first instance of AI-generated audio disinformation targeting American voters. A robocall impersonating Biden flooded New Hampshire voters, urging Democrats not to vote in the primary. The AI-generated call, sounding like Biden, claimed that voting in the primary only enables Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump and emphasized that voters’ choices matter in November, not in the primary. The call’s phone number appeared to belong to Sullivan, as the caller ID had spoofed her cell number. While the impact on voting behavior remains unclear, the incident highlights the potential use of AI in disinformation campaigns during the 2024 election, posing challenges for election officials to combat emerging threats effectively. Read Article

New Hampshire: Deepfake Audio of Biden Alarms Election Security Experts | Margi Murphy/Bloomberg

Disinformation experts are expressing concern over a doctored audio message of U.S. President Joe Biden circulating, urging voters in New Hampshire not to cast ballots in the Democratic primary. The manipulated message, featuring a voice edited to sound like Biden, falsely advises saving votes for the November election. Experts are particularly worried about audio deepfakes due to their ease of editing, affordability, and difficulty to trace. With the upcoming elections, there are fears that these fake audio messages, especially when combined with voter registration databases, could be potent tools to influence political outcomes. The incident confirms concerns that deepfakes might not only manipulate public opinion but also deter voters from participating. Read Article

New Hampshire’s aging ballot scanners pose challenges. Problems could prompt conspiracy theories | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

All New Hampshire voters mark their ballot by hand, but how those ballots are counted depends on the city or town. Just under half opt to hand count and have done so for years, but those are among the least populated in the state. The most populous towns and cities use machine tabulators, so most ballots cast in the state are counted electronically using the AccuVote scanners. The same type of ballot scanners are used by local voting jurisdictions in five other states, according to Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group that tracks U.S. voting equipment. “You could say it’s primitive technology. You could say it’s simple and reliable technology. Both of those things can be true,” said Mark Lindeman, the group’s policy and strategy director. He said New Hampshire’s tabulators have been kept in good condition and that the biggest challenge for election officials is finding replacement parts. He sees the worst-case scenario as local election officials having to resort to hand counting because a tabulator has failed and they don’t have access to a backup. “As worst cases go, that’s a pretty good one,” Lindeman said. “The ballots are safe. This will not prevent New Hampshire voters from voting or prevent New Hampshire voters from having their votes counted.” Read Article

New Hampshire: Bracing for a wave of write-ins and other potential curveballs, poll workers prep for Primary Day 2024 | Olivia Richardson and Todd Bookman/New Hampshire Public Radio

New Hampshire election officials are expanding their pool of poll workers, anticipating a heavier workload due to an increase in write-in votes on the Democratic side and the implementation of a new voter ID law. There are concerns about potential complications surrounding the state’s new affidavit ballot law and challenges in interpreting messy handwriting or misspellings on write-in votes. Election officials are emphasizing the need for patience at the polls and preparing for uncertainties, including the potential delay in counting due to increased scrutiny and unknown factors affecting voter turnout and ballot processing. Read Article

New Hampshire: New Dominion voting machines may not be widely available for 2024 election | Amanda Gokee/The Boston Globe

New Hampshire’s aging AccuVote voting machines need to be replaced, but an updated voting machine from Dominion might not be ready for the 2024 election in November. Secretary of State David Scanlan said when the ImageCast devices were conditionally approved, the New Hampshire vendor that services the machines, LHS Associates, said they believed they would be ready in time for the election, as did VotingWorks, a second voting machine company that received approval. Both machines have to undergo state and federal testing before receiving full approval. The testing of VotingWorks machines is on schedule, according to Scanlan, who anticipates three to four machines will be in place in 2024. But during a December meeting of the Ballot Law Commission, the president of LHS Associates Jeff Silvestro said Dominion might not be able to complete all of the testing required by the state of New Hampshire in time. Read Article

New Hampshire voting machine vendor: New machines may not be deployed in 2024 | Kevin Landrigan/Union Leader

The president of LHS Associates, the company that services New Hampshire’s voting machines, stated that the next generation of new voting machines by Dominion Voting Systems may not meet state testing requirements in time for the 2024 general election. The existing Accuvote machines have been in use for three decades and were last manufactured in 2008, with officials scrambling to find replacement parts. Dominion’s ImageCast optical scanning machines were approved for use by March 1, but the testing plan is still pending. While LHS proposed leasing new machines for cities and towns, Secretary of State David Scanlan opposed the idea, emphasizing fairness to other vendors and the need for a uniform standard. Read Article

New Hampshire: Ahead of Biden write-in effort, towns and cities issue calls for more poll workers | Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin

In preparation for the New Hampshire presidential primary, where President Joe Biden has launched a write-in campaign, cities and larger towns are gearing up for a meticulous hand count due to the absence of Biden’s name on the ballot. This write-in effort will require additional poll workers to manually count each Democratic write-in vote. Local organizations and city officials are actively recruiting volunteers, emphasizing the need for more people this time due to the potentially record-breaking number of write-in votes. Larger cities, in particular, are feeling the pressure to find enough volunteers, and efforts are underway to connect with various organizations and individuals to ensure sufficient staffing for the election day tasks, including sorting and counting write-in ballots. Read Article

New Hampshire Supreme Court case about ballot-counting machines draws a crowd | David Brooks/The Concord Monitor

An Auburn man, Daniel Richard, representing himself, has argued before the New Hampshire Supreme Court that ballot-counting machines shouldn’t be used at polling places due to a lack of proper legal foundation in the state’s constitution. Richard contends that the use of such machines requires approval in the state constitution and wants their use forbidden, along with alterations to state election laws. He claims that all absentee ballots cast in the state since 1979 are “defective.” Supporters, including those critical of ballot-counting machines, gathered for the oral arguments, while attorneys for the state and Auburn town dispute Richard’s points, noting no evidence of injury due to the machines. Read Article

New Hampshire towns will have two choices for ballot-counting machines – one proprietary, one open-source | David Brooks/Concord Monitor

The state ballot law commission has selected Dominion Voting Systems and VotingWorks, a not-for-profit company that uses open-source software, as the potential replacements for the aging AccuVote ballot-counting machines that have been in use for three decades. The current machines can still be used until the ballot law commission de-certifies them. It will be up to cities and towns to decide when they want to switch, at the cost of about $7,000 per machine, or if they want to revert back to hand-counting ballots on election nights. Read Article

As New Hampshire voting machines age, state weighs alternatives | Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin

Many cities and towns in New Hampshire are using Accuvote machines to count ballots in elections, but the machines are growing old and facing difficulties due to the lack of manufacturing and parts availability. The state is now considering a necessary upgrade to replace the aging machines. Town and city clerks and moderators will gather in Concord for a demonstration of three possible candidates to replace the Accuvote tabulators, and the Ballot Law Commission will decide which machines to approve for future use. While some municipalities are eagerly anticipating the approval of new machines, others are content with their current Accuvote machines but acknowledge the need for an upgrade. The decision will be crucial as the presidential primary election in February 2024 approaches. Read Article

New Hampshire Lawmaker Derails Election Portal Bill | Rick Green/The Keene Sentinel

Republican state representative Steven Smith’s opposition resulted in the failure of a bill in New Hampshire that aimed to establish an online election information portal for voter registration and absentee ballot requests. Smith objected to a provision lacking sufficient legislative oversight of federal funds, leading to unanimous support not being achieved in the Committee of Conference. The bill will now be postponed until the next legislative session. Secretary of State David Scanlan supported the compromise proposal and emphasized that federal fund usage would still be governed by existing regulations. Smith expressed concerns about the portal’s security and suggested the creation of a commission for oversight. Read Article

New Hampshire Senate bill requiring election audits passes the House | Amanda Gokee/The Boston Globe

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed Senate Bill 157, which would require election audits to be conducted after every state and federal election in the state. The bill requires the Secretary of State to randomly select eight towns or city wards to audit per election, and expands the scope of the audit to include all voting devices and not just AccuVote devices. The audits would be open to the public, and aim to verify the accuracy and performance of voting equipment and vote counting machines. The bill was passed unanimously with no debate.Read Article

New Hampshire panel combines voting machine grants with election portal | Kevin Landrigan/The New Hampshire Union Leader

A proposal to permit cities and towns to ask for federal money to replace their antiquated voting machines moved a step closer to reality this week. The plan would permit local officials to apply to Secretary of State David Scanlan’s office to get grants from $12.8 million in federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) money the state has gotten over the past two decades to make voting system improvements. Last week, House Election Laws Committee Chairman Ross Berry, R-Manchester, proposed tacking this proposal onto a Senate-passed bill (SB 70) that would create a state information portal to allow citizens to register online to vote more easily, to update their voter information or to request absentee ballots. The House panel voted 13-5 in support of that measure, which now goes to the full House of Representatives. The state Senate had earlier killed separate legislation (SB 73) to permit the use of HAVA money for voting machines while Berry’s House committee had decided to retain its own legislation on the topic (HB 447) until early in 2024.

Full Article: Panel combines voting machine grants with election portal

New Hampshire: New House GOP proposal for voting machines emerges | Kevin Landrigan/The New Hampshire Union Leader

Cities and towns could qualify to use some of the $12 million federal Help America Vote Act grant surplus to replace aging voting machines under a move a House Republican leader is backing — reviving a proposal supported by leading House and Senate Democrats. House Election Laws Committee Chairman Ross Berry, R-Merrimack, proposed Tuesday to graft this proposal onto a Senate-passed bill (SB 70) to create a voter information portal that would permit citizens online to more easily register to vote, update their information or request absentee ballots. The state Senate earlier killed separate legislation (SB 73) to permit the use of Help America Vote Act (HAVA) money for voting machines while Berry’s House committee decided to retain its own legislation on the topic (HB 447) until early in 2024. Berry said he was hoping his gambit could permit both these ideas to become a reality. “We know our colleagues on the other side of the wall really love the portal,” Berry said. “Let’s marry the two and have our cake and eat it too; that’s what the bill does.” Senate Election Laws and Municipal Affairs Committee Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, said the Senate remains dead-set against using HAVA grants so communities could replace their AccuVote machines, the only technology allowed for cities and towns that don’t have paper balloting.

Full Article: New House GOP proposal for voting machines emerges

New Hampshire towns to vote on banning voting machines | Angelina Berube/Eagle Tribune

Residents in Pelham, Salem and Sandown will consider in March if their towns should exclusively hand count ballots in future elections. The issue is presented as a citizen’s petition in each community. The petitions look to stop and prohibit the future use of electronic ballot counting devices in town and school elections, instead requiring a hand count. The three select boards did not recommend the warrant articles. This isn’t the first time Salem or Sandown has heard from citizens looking to change the longstanding voting method. The subject was on Salem’s warrant in March 2022 — rejected 1,564-2,130 — and submitted by Jaime Thornock, who is now petitioning it again. She said there’s a lack of reliability and trust surrounding electronic machines. Requiring hand counts would create transparency, she said, on real numbers from election night. Rep. Joe Sweeney said Salem must trust election officials. He stressed the burden of hand-counting on poll workers, since they are obligated get ballots counted in a single sitting.

Full Article: NH towns to vote on banning voting machines | New Hampshire | eagletribune.com

New Hampshire Senate Weighs Permanent Voting Machine Audits | Eagle Times

During the 2022 elections, the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office audited voting machines in six different polling places, checking for accuracy and consistency as part of a one-time requirement by the Legislature.  Now, Senate lawmakers are hoping to make the auditing permanent. Senate Bill 157 would require the office to audit at least two AccuVote machines on Election Day during state primaries and up to eight machines during the general election. The audits would need to be conducted at specific towns and city wards across the state, selected at random, the bill states. They would be carried out in public by people appointed and trained by the secretary of state. For each machine, at least 5 percent of the ballots scanned must be examined, the bill adds. The choices on the ballots must be compared to the results recorded in the machines, and any differences must be documented.

Full Article: ‘Never Been More Important’: NH Senate Weighs Permanent Voting Machine Audits | | eagletimes.com

New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission moves forward with assessing new counting machines | Jeongyoon Han/New Hampshire Public Radio

New Hampshire’s Ballot Law Commission is continuing to test out different ballot counting machines as it seeks to replace the state’s aging ones. The commission, which sets the criteria and has the final say for certifying ballot counting machines in the state, met on Wednesday to assess several companies’ ballot counting machines. Here’s what happened. The commission met with representatives from a company called Clear Ballot Group, which wants to have their ballot counting machines approved so that towns in New Hampshire could use them for elections. The state uses those machines when conducting its routine election audits. James Rundlett, national sales manager at the company, showed the commission how the ballot machine works. “We believe this is the future of elections,” Rundlett said. Clear Ballot Group’s ballot devices are being used in various parts of the country, including in parts of the Pacific Northwest, Kansas, Seattle, and Ohio.

Full Article: NH Ballot Law Commission moves forward with assessing new counting machines | New Hampshire Public Radio

New Hampshire audit of open-source voting machine gives thumbs-up, mostly | David Brooks/Concord Monitor

The open-source software worked well but the hardware had a few issues. That’s the conclusion from audits of a new ballot-counting machine that was tested in three New Hampshire towns during the November election. The device, developed by a nonprofit called VotingWorks, is being considered as a possible replacement for the state’s aging AccuVote machines. The key point of the VotingWorks device is that it uses the open-source Linux operating system rather than software controlled by a private company. Its backers say this openness provides a level of transparency that can help defuse conspiracy theories about fair elections. Any decision about changing the devices that towns and cities can use for elections will be made by the Ballot Law Commission, a 10-person body whose members are appointed by the Legislature and the governor. There is no timeline for replacing the AccuVote machines. The VotingWorks machines were used in the Nov. 8, 2022, election in Ashland, Newington and Woodstock, three of the smallest towns in the state that count ballots with the AccuVote machines. The VotingWorks devices digitally scanned and tallied results from the state’s standard paper ballots. The results were later double-checked with a hand-count audit by the Secretary of State’s office.

Full Article: State audit of open-source voting machine gives thumbs-up, mostly