Election Notebook

James O'Keefe Returns to NH

The controversial figure cancelled a scheduled appearance in May.

Will he make it? Or will he have to cancel at the last minute again? Nobody knows for sure, but "legendary" James O'Keefe is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers' annual picnic on July 7, at noon, at the Hillsborough American Legion post. This year's theme is voter fraud, and who better to speak on that topic than O'Keefe? The conservative activist was scheduled to attend a Rye Republican Town Committee gala on May 6, but wound up appearing remotely via Skype instead for fear that he would be handed a grand jury subpoena if he stepped foot in New Hampshire. O'Keefe, 27, has drawn both praise and criticism for his investigation into voter fraud during the New Hampshire primary. Two possible …

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POLL: Should Voter ID Be Required?

NH Legislature sees bill as way to prevent voting fraud. Do you agree?

Should Voter ID Be Required to vote in New Hampshire? Tell us why it should be or why it should not be, in the comment stream below. Gov. John Lynch vetoed Senate Bill 289, a bill requiring voters to show a photo ID in order to vote.  In his veto message, he called it too restrictive. Lynch also said he vetoed it because, under the bill, a person without photo ID for the upcoming primary and general election would have to complete a qualified voter affidavit. He said that would create confusion, "slow the voting process and may result in the inability of eligible voters to cast their vote." The League of Women Voters emerged this spring as one of the groups opposing the bill. House Speaker William O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon, has made voter ID …

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Steven Dragonser

11:57 am on Friday, May 17, 2013

As a republican I admit I dislike Obama, but he is the Commander in Chief and deserves our respect. He has promised to look into this and has promised that this will never happen again. He was truly upset during his speech. Have faith that the leader of our beautiful country will follow through.   more ›

Voter ID Bill Passes House

Vote was 226-115.

After months of heated debate over voter rights, the New Hampshire House voted in favor of Voter ID legislation, 226 to 115. Senate Bill 289 requires that a voter present one of four types of photo ID when voting, and if they are unable to produce a valid ID, they must sign a voter affidavit and have their photo taken. The bill, which was passed with a House amendment, now goes back to the Senate. Frustration boiled over during debate over the bill on the House floor, resulting in State Rep. Steve Vaillancourt being ejected from the Statehouse by House Speaker William O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon. O'Brien, in a prepared statement after the vote, said: “We must ensure that our elections are as pure as possible, and free of corruption. For years, …

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CAP Report

Voter Photo ID Bill Coming Into Focus

Legislative week: Life, Loons, farmers' market brews, and parking meters.

The legislative session days are winding down. Take, for example, House deadlines: May 17 is the last day to act on Senate bills and June 7, just a month away, is the last day to act on Committee of Conference reports. Get busy legislating or get busy dallying. Voting Reform Bill Moves Ahead. The House Election Law Committee is quietly becoming one of the hardest working committees over at the Legislative Office Building. What’s the buzz? It’s the bill to require photo identification before one can vote. The committee meets today at 2 p.m. for a work session on the proposal, followed by a hearing at 2 p.m. Tuesday on a proposed non-germane amendment to the bill, and then an executive session Thursday morning. It’s in LOB Room 308. This …

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O'Keefe Skypes NH GOP Gala to Avoid Criminal Subpoena [VIDEO]

James O'Keefe said his attorney advised against appearing in person Sunday due to suggested action against him.

Conservative activist James O'Keefe spoke to a packed house of Seacoast Republicans Sunday not in person, but rather on streaming video because stepping foot in New Hampshire would trigger a criminal grand jury subpoena. O'Keefe has drawn strong praise and criticism from his investigation into voter fraud during the New Hampshire primary. O'Keefe, 27, often cited frustration Sunday during a Rye Republican Town Committee-hosted gala about being stopped from doing his job and trying to uncover "truths" about a flawed system he said is necessitating a voter identification bill. "I think it's unfortunate that we live in a country these days where public officials threaten journalists, threaten to put journalists in jail for exposing facts …

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David Victory

12:52 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012

@ Frank Agreed. Elections are stolen on a much higher level. Not by voting booth pranks. If the GOP really wanted to ensure fair elections, they'd be demanding paper ballots.   more ›

Dems Call on GOP Candidates to Denounce O'Keefe

Ovide Lamontagne, Kevin Smith, Frank Guinta and Charles Bass were invited to Sunday's gala in Rye featuring the right-wing activist.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party is calling on Republican gubernatorial candidates Ovide Lamontagne and Kevin Smith and Congressmen Frank Guinta and Charles Bass to refuse to attend a GOP gala in Rye on Sunday because right-wing activist James O'Keefe will be in attendance. In a conference call Thursday, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley and former party Chairman Kathy Sullivan said the GOP candidates should refuse to stand with O'Keefe. "I'm really disappointed that the Republican Party would have someone like Mr. O'Keefe come into New Hampshire on their behalf," Sullivan said. "I find it's really sad and disappointing these elected officials are willing to overlook the actions Mr. O'Keefe and his associates are …

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Sick of Liberals

9:43 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012

And Obama refuses to show us his REAL birth certificate, his college transcripts and applications, his state senate records...on and on...why do Liberals and Dems live in such la-la land?   more ›

N.H. Primary

AG Investigating Undercover Filming at Nashua Polls

James O'Keefe, widely known as the undercover "pimp" who filmed a sting involving ACORN, takes issue with New Hampshire's lack of required ID at the polls. The state, in turn, is taking issue with his methods.

Public service or federal crime? That's for the state Attorney General's office to decide now, after more than 10 minutes of video footage released by conservative activist James O'Keefe has stirred controversy – and not necessarily the kind O'Keefe intended. The footage includes shots taken at several New Hampshire polling sites, including some in Nashua, on Jan. 10 during which phony voters went undercover to ask for ballots for recently deceased people in those wards. In one instance a poll worker in a Manchester ward realized the undercover imposter was not who he said he was because she knew the dead person in question. That incident was reported in the Boston Herald. Nashua City Clerk Paul Bergeron is outraged, and noted that in …

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Jane Aitken

8:38 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

You have to laugh at the hypocrisy.. ACORN workers did nothing wrong, but OKeefe did? He did not take a ballot and use it to vote and therefore no crime was committed.   more ›