Supreme Court Blocks Student IDs for Voting in NH Midterms

The Supreme Court has ruled that New Hampshire cannot allow student IDs as a form of identification for voting in the upcoming midterm elections, effectively blocking a lower court’s order that had permitted them as backup proof of identity ^[1]. The unsigned decision, issued Thursday, invoked the 'Purcell principle'—a legal doctrine that prevents federal courts from altering election rules close to an election ^[2].

The move came after New Hampshire’s Republican-led state government, backed by the Republican National Committee, filed an emergency appeal ^[1]. The state had passed a law in April removing student IDs from the list of accepted primary forms of identification for ballot requests. Secretary of State David Scanlan then issued guidance banning their use even as a secondary form of ID, a move challenged by the Coalition for Open Democracy, a voting rights nonprofit.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante had ruled that while the law stood, the guidance went beyond it by eliminating student IDs entirely as a tool for verifying identity. He allowed election officials to consider student IDs as part of a broader determination of voter eligibility, citing a state provision that permits 'any other evidence that reasonably establishes' a person’s identity ^[1].

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to halt Laplante’s order, prompting the state to seek Supreme Court intervention. The high court granted the emergency request, stating that the lower court 'did not point to anything that would justify deviating' from the Purcell principle ^[2].

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenter, arguing that the case did not involve a change to the state’s official election rules and therefore should not fall under Purcell’s strictures ^[2]. She emphasized that the federal court order was meant to ensure transparency in election processes, not alter them at the last minute.

The ruling comes less than two weeks before New Hampshire voters head to the polls in a pivotal Senate race between Republican former Senator John E. Sununu and Democratic Representative Chris Pappas ^[1]. The outcome could influence control of the U.S. Senate.

The decision marks a significant victory for state election integrity efforts, with Republican Attorney General John Formella calling it 'an important victory' in defending election laws ^[2]. The story was first reported by NBC News and CBS News.