Supreme Court Allows New Hampshire To Ban Student IDs At Polls

Apparently, even having a student ID proving you attend a college isn’t enough to prove who you are when it comes time to vote. The Supreme Court has cleared the way for New Hampshire to ban the use of student IDs as a backup form of voter identification during the upcoming midterm elections, handing Republicans another victory in the ongoing fight over access to the ballot box.

On Thursday, the justices granted a Republican-backed emergency appeal, blocking student IDs from being used as an alternative method of identification at the polls. The court cited a longstanding legal principle that judges should avoid changing election rules too close to Election Day. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only justice to publicly dissent, the Associated Press reports.

New Hampshire lawmakers passed a law earlier this year that removed student IDs from the list of expressly accepted forms of identification for voters seeking a ballot. The state’s secretary of state subsequently issued guidance barring students from using those IDs as a backup method of verifying their identities.

A judge allowed the law to remain in place but blocked the secretary of state’s guidance in early October. That ruling prompted the state to appeal to the Supreme Court, with the Republican National Committee stepping in to support New Hampshire’s position.

The timing is notable. The ruling comes less than two weeks before voters head to the polls in a closely contested U.S. Senate race, leaving college students without the additional identification option as they prepare to cast their ballots.

State Rep. Donald McFarlane, the Republican who sponsored the legislation, argued that colleges do not maintain the same safeguards as government agencies when issuing identification cards.

In an email, McFarlane celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision as a “victory for common sense.”

“It allows HB 323 to work as intended: strengthening voter identity verification, applying a consistent standard, and maintaining public confidence in New Hampshire elections,” he said.

The ruling adds another wrinkle to the ongoing national debate over voter identification requirements and election administration. Supporters of stricter identification rules argue that consistent standards help protect election integrity. Critics, meanwhile, have long warned that additional identification requirements can create unnecessary obstacles for eligible voters.

For New Hampshire college students, the immediate consequence is straightforward: student IDs cannot serve as a backup form of identification at the polls during this election, potentially leaving some voters scrambling to ensure they have acceptable documentation before Election Day.

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