Voter confidence in New Hampshire and nationally is in sharp decline. Currently, less than 50 % of eligible voters vote in most NH town elections.
Voting rights and procedures are of recently increased interest to the NH State Citizenry as demonstrated by the recent enactment of the 2022 NH Special Committee on Voter Confidence established by Secretary of State David Scanlon.
In this article I would like to explore the question that many NH Citizens who have attended these meetings are asking, which is whether this Special Committee is serving its mission:
“Mission: The Special Committee on Voter Confidence will work to identify root causes of voter confidence decline and make recommendations to reverse the trend.
The New Hampshire Special Committee on Voter Confidence was formed by New Hampshire Secretary of State David M. Scanlan as a bipartisan effort to discuss and address growing concerns about declines in voter confidence. Dick Swett and Brad Cook will chair the Committee.
New Hampshire is one of the easiest places for voters to register and cast their ballots, but concerns about declining voter confidence have been voiced in the state, as well as nationally.
Through open and continuous dialogue with the voting public and elected officials, the Committee will work tirelessly in the lead-up to mid-term elections to reverse this trend and strengthen the public’s trust in New Hampshire’s time-tested election process.
All of the Committee’s meetings and speaking engagements will be open to the public, with advance notice, culminating in a publicly available report on its activities”
It is important to start with Co-Chairman Brad Cook. Mr. Bradford Cook by background is an attorney with Sheehan Phinney. He is also the current and active Ballot Law Commission Chairman. Chairman Brad Cook is hearing and receiving evidence from the public and has a duty to compile and resolve complaints of federal voting law violations, pursuant to the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Many now after witnessing his performance are questioning his clear bias and dual roles, and whether it presents an appearance of impropriety and a perceived conflict of interest.
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I asked some NH Citizens present to share their thoughts as to why voter confidence is at an all-time low.
“It goes beyond the existing studies of the winner effect or the loser’s “regret” phenomenon as some like to describe it. It’s about Election Integrity and whether you trust the accuracy of the voting machines and the people running the elections.”
What many believe is at the core of the cause is the ignorance to consider the voices of a virtuous NH citizenry that take the time from their precious lives to make a commitment to present facts and evidence along with testimony, by respectfully following rules and showing decorum. Many now feel they are outrightly being disrespected and summarily dismissed.
In a well-known Supreme court case of Crawford v. Marion County Board of Elections, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that “public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process has independent significance because it encourages citizen participation in the democratic process.”
One thing is for sure is that Chairman Bradford Cook’s Machiavellian behavior is not winning over any hearts and minds nor encouraging voter confidence. Nor is the lack of transparency in the manner by which the Committee extensively delays citizen’s videotape testimony for others to hear and learn from.
In fact, he seems to be single-handedly reducing the citizens trust even more so. I will be sharing more information in a series of letters/ reports to the citizens of NH in the near future.
