CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A federal judge in New Hampshire has denied a request that would have blocked a new state law requiring voters to be full-fledged residents from being enforced for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary in February.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire sued the secretary of state and attorney general over the law, which took effect in July and ended the state’s distinction between “residency” and “domicile.”
Though it doesn’t change the process of registering to vote, it effectively makes out-of-state college students who vote in New Hampshire subject to residency requirements, such as obtaining drivers’ licenses and registering cars.
The ACLU said the law created confusion; the state said any confusion is “self-created and sustained.”
A judge ruled Wednesday the plaintiffs didn’t prove their claims. An ACLU attorney said it will continue to fight the case.
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