Judith Ackerson: Sununu and Gardner use lies to criticize voting bill

To The Daily Sun,

Once again I am dismayed by the untruths used by Secretary of State William Gardner and reiterated by Gov. Chris Sununu and Mr. Stepanek, head of the state GOP. They are attacking S1/H1, bills before the U.S. Senate and House, known as the For The People Act. If individual states were not doing their utmost to restrict the voting rights of their citizens, there would be no need for such legislation on the national level.

Now for the untruths. Secretary of State Gardner has stated that if S1/H1 are passed, the state of NH will be in danger of losing their first in the nation primary status. This is a pants-on-fire moment as state governments do not schedule primaries. Primaries are a function of the Democratic and Republican parties. Primaries are used by the political parties to sort out, within the parties, which candidates will be most viable. Nothing prevents another state from jumping ahead of NH in scheduling their primaries.

Let me get back to the core issue here – truth! Why must Sununu and Gardner use untruths (lies) to make a point? Why are they afraid to have all qualified citizens vote? S1/H1 are needed to stop the continued march by many states toward suppressing the right to vote. Politicians need to start winning on ideas, not by manipulating who, how and when one can vote.

Judith Ackerson

Franklin