HB714

I support this bill because it will allow more voters to vote in primary elections.

I support having a single party election putting all candidates on a single primary ballot allowing registered voters to vote for any candidate that is on the ballot will allow for greater and more accurate choices by the voting public. This will put the power back into the hands of the citizen and away from the two party structure.

I love this bill.

HB714 is a very sensible to support. Picture election day and it has been an easy routine for Undeclared voters to choose on that day which party ballot to request. In order to return to Undeclared can take weeks! The software that replaced ElectNet had & still has problems to process voters' request to return to Undeclared. Often voters requests are not picked up to adjust at all OR "there's a computer problem and we can't do it" which is so unacceptable. At least 40% of New Hampshire's voters are registered as Undeclared! The other proposed bill to wipe out Undeclared voters from primaries is wrong; it is against the freedom of this state's voters to choose.

I support passage of this bill and the establishment of a Single Primary Ballot. I am a registered independent voter who feels that the democratic process must continue to be protected and promoted. This bill will promote more voter participation in casting ballots and running for office by citizens (particularly those that are not party affiliated). More voters will be encouraged to vote because they will not be restricted by party affiliation at the ballot box and they will be able to choose from the full slate of candidates for any given office. Additionally, independent candidates will be encouraged to run as the playing field will be more level for initiating a campaign for elected office. They will also have full access to be supported by ALL voters regardless of party affiliation. The current dominant two-party system seems to discourage voters by making it difficult to vote for the candidate they feel best suited for the job regardless of their party. For example, a voter may like the Republican candidate for representative, but the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, but they are given only a single party ballot so they cannot truly choose who they feel is BEST for each position. New Hampshire continues to have a significant independent voter group that needs to have fair representation and access to political positions and processes in ALL elections and the Single Ballot Primary will help promote and ensure this.

Allowing the voters more information for when they vote should be common sense. We should be able to see all of our options and creating a single primary ballot will achieve that.

The hyperpartisan nature of our politics, and people's general distain for it, feeds into people's mistrust of our electoral process. Here in New Hampshire, where there is a strong independent tradition of people voting across parties, it makes sense to simplify voting by using a single party ballot in state and congressional primaries. As New Hampshire Together's citizen assembly helped find, people across parties and positions agree that an open primary system would best serve New Hampshire by reducing polarization and giving voters more meaningful choices. I urge you to study and support this bill. Let's make democracy work better for the people of New Hampshire.

I believe that passing this bill will provide a level playing field for elections by calling for the same filing requirements for all candidates, regardless of party affiliation or office; and to require all candidates to be listed on a single ballot without reference to party, except when the candidate chooses to do so. I would like to vote for a candidates of my choice, that aligns with my views. And that is not always along one party line. This two party system is narrow minded and needs to be amended. I believe that we need to consider, with any law we pass, that no group of people should suffer while others thrive. The single ballot does not favor any one side. And, in fact, it creates less division among the people of NH. Thanks you, Laura

Dear members of the Election Law Committee, I believe that HB 714 is a step in the right direction for New Hampshire, and I urge your support of this bill. The goal in any election is that the best person be elected to represent their community or district or region in the office that is being contested. The voters do and should care about the candidates position on key issues. However, objectively, that is not to say that all the members of one political party are right and the members of another party are wrong. With the passage of HB 714, all voters will be able to consider all candidates, without being restricted to one party's ballot or another. Some voters will still remain loyal to a political party, and that is clearly their prerogative. With the passage of HB 714, voters will not be obligated to remain loyal to one party or another, and that is a freedom that all New Hampshire voters deserve. If you truly believe that electing the best candidate, regardless of party, is what we strive to accomplish in New Hampshire, then you will support HB 714. Thank you for your consideration.

HB172 Bars NH’s “undeclared” voters (40% of registered voters) from participating in primaries so this appears to be an improvement in our voting laws

I think having one ballot suits New Hampshires way of voting, will hopefully rule out any ballots being tossed, and have everyone have a fair chance at figuring out which person to vote for. Overall I hope this bill will help all ballots be treated fairly and equally while giving freedom to vote how a person would like to.

I support and appreciate that this bill is a step away from strict bipartisanship, a system that we know is not working in New Hampshire or nationally.

The primary system seems to be creating more polarized choices. I believe that a single ballot would help close the gap and give us candidates that appears to the majority, not the extremes.

Vote Free or Die! This excellent bill will allow voters to assess each candidate no matter where they lie on the party spectrum.