skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Two dead after 2 small planes collide midair in AZ; New research offers solutions to address violence in MS; Frozen funds hurting farmers in MO, nation; Bill to legally protect pesticide companies could be coming to ID.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

State legislators chip away at early voting laws, the North Carolina Supreme Court election saga continues, and universal private school voucher programs expand nationwide, putting public school funding at risk.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Taos, NM sheriff won't comply with immigration enforcement that could erode public trust, NH worries that a dearth of charging stations will force tourists driving EVs to vacation elsewhere, and Southern states promote workarounds to improve education.

NH veterans, service members say proposed voter ID law betrays their sacrifice

play audio
Play

Monday, May 20, 2024   

Veterans and service members in New Hampshire said legislation to create one of the nation's strictest voter ID laws would be a betrayal of their sacrifice.

The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, and would get rid of the affidavit process to help new voters without documentation.

Curtis Register, a member of the Durham Town Council and a former Marine Corps officer, said birth certificates or naturalization papers can be hard to come by for military members, who regularly relocate or were born on bases overseas.

"These are all real obstacles that service members face and that families of service members face because it's a collective unit," Register observed. "One affects all."

Supporters of the bill argued it is needed to prevent widespread voter fraud, but have failed to provide evidence of electoral abuse. The bill has passed the House and Senate but Gov. Chris Sununu has not said whether he will sign it.

There are roughly 70,000 foreign-born American citizens serving in the military, or about 5% of the total active-duty force. More than 170,000 military members have become naturalized citizens since 2002.

Register noted proposed laws in New Hampshire and elsewhere requiring them to provide more documentation to vote than native-born citizens risks disenfranchising those who fight to preserve our most basic rights.

"It feels like a betrayal of those that have been injured, or sacrificed time away from their kids, or even an ultimate sacrifice; that we have folks trying to take away rights that were given via the Constitution," Register emphasized.

New Hampshire allows for same-day voter registration and opponents of the bill said it could prevent thousands of people from casting a ballot.

Others warned such a law would be unconstitutional. A similar bill in Kansas requiring proof of citizenship to vote was struck down by a federal judge in 2018.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Continuous glucose monitors are now used by most of the estimated 300,000 people in the United Staates who are younger than age 20 and living with Type 1 diabetes, according to health experts. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Phil Galewitz for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Trimmel Gomes for Florida News Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Serv…


play sound

After thousands of homes and businesses burned in the Los Angeles fires, public health doctors are warning about the toxic pollution from plastics …

Social Issues

play sound

As Congress continues to threaten deep cuts to the Medicaid program, a new KFF report shows how some of the proposed changes could end coverage for …


Montana's Lewis and Clark Caverns were first protected by the Department of the Interior under President Teddy Roosevelt in 1908. Management was transferred to the state of Montana in 1937. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Over the last 120 years, U.S. presidents have used the Antiquities Act almost 300 times to recognize national monuments, protecting portions of …

play sound

New legislation would transition more ocean-going container ships to run off electricity instead of diesel while they are docked at Washington ports…

More than 7.5% of the Commonwealth's electricity comes from solar power. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Virginia lawmakers and clean air advocates are closely watching budget talks in Congress. They hope clean energy tax incentives, passed in previous …

Social Issues

play sound

As Mississippi grapples with chronic violence and unconstitutional conditions in its prisons, new research provides a roadmap for reducing harm and …

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabora…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021