Senate Passes SB 2, Extends Accessible Voting Provisions
Contact Name: Marina Altschiller
Phone: (603) 271-3207
CONCORD - Today, the New Hampshire Senate passed SB 2 in a vote of 24-0. The bipartisan legislation extends provisions originally made in last year’s HB 1266 by allowing the preprocessing of absentee ballots for certain 2021 elections and allowing the postponement of 2021 town meetings citing concern for public health and safety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the vote, Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy (D-Manchester) issued the following statement:
“In 2020, we worked across the aisle to ensure no eligible voter was prevented from participating in free and fair elections due to fear of COVID-19. These measures were an overwhelming success - resulting in November’s historic voter turnout. While today’s vote is an important step forward in addressing the more immediate needs of our cities and towns, we must not fail to recognize the positive impact of expanded access to absentee voting. Senate Democrats have listened to the feedback from our dedicated election officials and are ready to take the next step in guaranteeing secure and accessible elections, not just during a global pandemic, but for every election to come.”
###