Judge Allows Student IDs for New Hampshire Voting

A federal judge ruled that students can use school-issued IDs to verify their identity for the upcoming November election.

Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Legislative Policy

Judge Allows Student IDs for New Hampshire Voting

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Should students be required to use government-issued IDs instead of school IDs to vote?

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante ruled that students may use school-issued IDs as safety-valve identification for the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The ruling partially blocks a directive issued by the Secretary of State.

Why it matters

The judge determined that the state failed to identify any interest served by banning school-issued IDs that was not already covered by existing state law. Safety-valve identification allows voters without other photo IDs to verify their identity at the polls.

H.B. 323, which excludes school-issued IDs from the list of valid election identification, remains in effect after the court ruling. The measure was passed with support from 5 out of 177 Democrats in the state House.

The players

Joseph Laplante

He is the U.S. District Court Judge who oversaw the lawsuit regarding New Hampshire election identification laws.

David Scanlan

He serves as the New Hampshire Secretary of State and issued the directive aimed at restricting the use of student IDs.

Kelly Ayotte

She is the Governor of New Hampshire who signed H.B. 323 into law.

John Formella

He is the Attorney General of New Hampshire and participated in filing the appeal against the court ruling.

Coalition for Open Democracy

This organization filed the lawsuit on Aug. 11 challenging both the new state law and the Secretary of State's directive.

The details

Judge Laplante ruled that while H.B. 323 stands, the April directive from the Secretary of State went too far in its restrictions. The safety-valve statute permits supervisors to review voter qualifications and verify identities at the polls, a process intended to ensure access for voters without standard photo identification.

April 3, 2026: Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed H.B. 323 into law.
June 2, 2026: H.B. 323 officially went into effect.
October 2, 2026: Judge Laplante issued the ruling on the H.B. 323 lawsuit.
October 6, 2026: Secretary of State David Scanlan and Attorney General John Formella filed an appeal.
November 3, 2026: The midterm election is scheduled to occur.

Political Context

The appeal filed by state officials argues that the court misinterpreted state law, representing the primary legal pushback against the ruling. Proponents of the state's position contend that the judiciary is overstepping by overriding the legislative intent behind H.B. 323.

Students planning to vote in the upcoming Nov. 3 midterm election may use their school-issued IDs as safety-valve identification at the polls. This ruling ensures that voters without other forms of photo identification have an established pathway to cast their ballots.

The takeaway

The ruling underscores the ongoing legal tension between legislative attempts to regulate voter identification and constitutional mandates for access. Voters should ensure they understand the specific identification requirements for their polling location before arriving on election day.