The state’s top election official is creating a new commission aimed at bolstering voter confidence in elections, warning that a growing mistrust in the accuracy of voting results poses a threat to the institutions of government.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan announced the Commission on Voter Confidence Tuesday, appointing attorney and New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission Chair Brad Cook, as well as former Ambassador to Denmark and Congressman Richard Swett to serve as co-chairs.
The commission will hold listening sessions across the state in the coming months, gathering input from citizens on how the state could improve transparency in the voting process. Members of the commission will also work to explain New Hampshire’s process for casting and counting votes, a largely decentralized process that involves thousands of local election officials and volunteers.
“Our challenge is to make the process more transparent, help people understand it, so that there is no mystery,” Scanlan said. “If we can do that, it is much harder to create a situation where people can claim conspiracies.”
New Hampshire’s state and local election officials, as well as Gov. Chris Sununu, have repeatedly said the state runs fair and accurate elections.
But conspiracy theories bellowed by President Donald Trump and some of his supporters about a rigged election have gained some level of support in New Hampshire. A closely watched audit in Windham fueled false claims that the state’s...
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