Patrick Wood: No need for bill to address voter verification

To The Daily Sun,

"According to the secretary of state, over the past 45 years, New Hampshire has had 44 state elections that ended in a tie or in a one-vote victory. On average, that is almost once per year, not including the 1974 U.S. Senate race that was won by 2 votes — the closest U.S. Senate race in history. This clearly proves that just one improperly cast vote can adversely influence an election each year."

This is part of the preamble to SB 418, a bill “relative to verification of voter affidavits”, which is used to justify the need for this major change to our voting system. According to this information, it looks like there is a need to address this “problem”.

Over the past 45 years, we have had at least 11 presidential elections and 22 presidential primaries (one for each major party), at least seven United States Senate elections and 14 primaries, 44 Congressional elections and 88 primaries, 22 gubernatorial elections and 44 primaries, 22 state Senate elections and 44 primaries for 24 state Senate seats, and 22 state representative elections and 44 primaries for 400 state representative seats. That is 34,284 elections. Forty-four divided by 34,284 is 0.0128 – or just over one-tenth of one percent.

And the total of 34,284 elections does not include elections and primaries for city council, selectboard, school board, village district, fire commissioner, police commissioner, or any special elections or elections dealing with amendments to the Constitution, or municipal charter changes, or SB 2 elections.

SB 418 will impose significant costs on both the secretary of state and municipalities supposedly to “solve” a problem that does not exist. The truth is that SB 418 is a “solution” based on a false premise. Contact your state representative and tell them that SB 418 should not be adopted.

Patrick Wood

Laconia