Susan Richman: N.H.s voter confidence committee perpetuates the Big Lie

Yet they bow to the Big Lie, with a committee inviting N.H. citizens to air their beliefs that our elections are not reliable. The committee has become a forum for angry people to insult our election officials — fellow citizens and neighbors who came forth to do their civic duty. If anyone lacks confidence, it’s election officials, now resigning in fear for their safety.

Sadly, Secretary Scanlon’s failure to question accusations aimed at election officials and N.H.’s electoral process further fuels the lie.

How can we improve our elections?

• Allow online voter registration. (We bank, shop and pay bills online.)

• Have automatic voter registration when someone registers their car or gets a driver’s license (since they are being trusted to operate a potentially lethal vehicle).

• Have an independent redistricting commission. (Partisan gerrymandering has deprived me of a meaningful vote in N.H. elections for the next 10 years.)

• Transparency of election funds would ensure candidates are not for sale.

• “Voter-owned elections” would further reduce the power of dark money.

• Use HAVA funds (Help America Vote Act) to help towns recruit and train new poll workers, since many have left in response to the current hostile environment.

Secretary Scanlon could promote voter confidence: praise citizens who work the polls, update registrations with 21st century technology, champion nonpartisan redistricting to give equal weight to each voter, call out dark money in elections and question conspiracy theories and misinformation.

The Jan. 6 hearings are uncovering the Big Lie endangering our democracy. When N.H.’s Committee on Voter Confidence fails to counter lies about our election process, they fortify the lies.

Susan Richman

Durham