NHGOP Turns Up Voter ID Heat

The state Republican Party is keeping the heat on proposed voter ID legislation a week after conservative activist James O'Keefe infiltrated New Hampshire Primary polls with phony voters to ask for ballots of .

The Republican State Committee's executive committee has adopted a resolution that sounds like a pre-emptive attack on any Democrat who may oppose a proposed voter ID bill in New Hampshire. Wayne MacDonald, state Republican Party chairman, said in a press release:

"Voters should be outraged by the recent reports of voter fraud in New Hampshire, and the action taken by the NH GOP reflects the frustration many people across our state are feeling. It’s a shame that Governor Lynch and Democrats in the legislature have insisted that no problem exists and in the past have opposed efforts that would strengthen our laws. More than thirty states, both blue and red, already have voter ID requirements on the books and, given our First-in-the-Nation Primary role, we should too. We must do all that we can to stamp out voter fraud while ensuring that voters get to fairly exercise one of their most fundamental rights. Protecting the integrity of our elections is fundamental to our democracy.”

states without voter ID as a requirement for qualified residents to receive a ballot. The state Legislature passed a voter ID bill last year, but Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, vetoed it. In his veto message in June 2011, Lynch said .

An earlier version of that 2011 bill Democrats. The 2012 effort picks up steam when a voter ID bill gets a hearing Jan. 24. Some Democrats have argued that a voter ID requirement would deter some voters, particularly low-income and minority voters. Republicans calling for a voter ID law counter that ID is required for some otherwise routine life matters, such as picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy, driving and boarding a plane.