Congressional Candidate Shaheen Backs Federal Bill To Block New Hampshire's Voter ID Law

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Stefany Shaheen is backing Democratic legislation that would block New Hampshire from requiring voter ID at the ballot box.

The issue was raised by U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries during an appearance with the Democratic NH-01 nominee in Portsmouth Monday night. Jeffries said Democrats support “structural changes, like making sure that every single person has the right to vote in an unfettered fashion.

“And so we’re also committed to making sure, in the new majority, that we pass the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, that we can end the era of voter suppression.”

Shaheen clapped along in agreement.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would dramatically expand federal control over how states conduct elections. Both the House and Senate versions — which are supported by all four of New Hampshire’s federal representatives — would force states to get permission from the federal government to require voter ID.

Even more problematic for supporters of voter ID laws is the House version, supported by Jeffries, that would require states to accept a sworn affidavit in lieu of a voter ID, essentially ending the photo ID requirement for voting.

Polls show that voter ID requirements, which are supported by Republicans like Shaheen’s opponent Anthony DiLorenzo, are very popular with voters.

A Democracy Defense Project survey conducted in February found 76 percent of Granite Staters supported requiring voter identification to vote. Separately, AP VoteCast found about eight in 10 New Hampshire voters in the 2024 election supported requiring a passport, birth certificate, or other evidence of citizenship when registering, including more than half of Kamala Harris voters.

During a campaign stop with U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., in August, DiLorenzo mocked progressives like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for wanting to require ID to shop in his city-owned grocery stores but not to cast a ballot.

“So you can vote (without a photo ID), but you can’t buy food.”

The Republican National Committee said Monday that Jeffries “is already counting on Stefany Shaheen’s vote to advance his far-left, high-tax, big-government agenda,” RNC Spokesperson Kristen Cianci said. “Granite Staters want someone who will fight for them, not fall in line with national Democrats. Too bad Jeffries exposed Shaheen for the radical rubber stamp she will be if elected.”

DiLorenzo and Shaheen are competing to fill a vacancy left by Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Stefany’s mother.

Jeffries’ counterpart, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, is scheduled to appear with Dilorenzo in Dover on Wednesday.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.