Despite unique voting laws New Hampshire holds, former President Trump still slid to victory in the Granite State’s Monday night primary election.
New Hampshire is often described as a “closed” primary; however, several rules allow voters to change party affiliation to “undeclared” when voting in elections.
The state’s Secretary of State website asks:
Can I vote in a primary if I am an undeclared voter?
Yes. An undeclared voter may vote in a state primary or a presidential primary. You will be required to choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot when you go to vote. The last day a registered voter can change their party affiliation before the 2024 Presidential Primary is October 6, 2023. The last day a registered voter can change their party affiliation before the 2024 State Primary is June 4, 2024. Supervisors are required to meet on that day at least between 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. to accept party changes.
Following the history-making primary, CNN interviewed several “crossover” voters who typically vote Democrat and intend to vote for President Joe Biden or the Democratic Party nominee in November. However, to keep Trump off the 2024 ballot, they voted Republican, favoring GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
A transcript of the CNN segment follows:
NH Dem: “I voted for Nikki Haley as a vote against Trump.”
CNN: “If it was Haley vs. Biden, who would you vote for?”
NH Dem: “Biden.”
According to an exit poll from the network, only 27 percent of Haley’s New Hampshire primary voters were registered Republicans. Meanwhile, among Trump voters, 70 percent of them were registered Republicans.
In 2023, a House bill was proposed to end New Hampshire’s close-door primary system. Rep. Michael Moffett (R-NH) said that the legislation was intended to prevent voters of one party from interfering with another party’s primary by temporarily switching parties on primary election day. Moffett said the bill was designed to uphold the integrity of the primary and that people who vote in the election are actual party members.
However, critics of the bill argued that it would alienate residents who don’t want to register with a specific party but still want to vote in favor or against candidates in the primary.
“One party apparently made a concerted effort to intrude on another party’s primary and pick their preferred opponents,” Moffett said.