New Hampshire Governor Signs Bill Ending Requirement that Presidential Primary Candidates to Registered Members of Party

On July 10, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed HB 588. The bill ends the requirement that presidential primary candidates must be registered members of the party whose nomination they are seeking. The bill had never been enforced, because 19 states don’t have registration by party. For example, George W. Bush hadn’t been a registered Republican when he ran for President because Texas doesn’t have registration by party.

Here is the text of the bill.


Comments

New Hampshire Governor Signs Bill Ending Requirement that Presidential Primary Candidates to Registered Members of Party — 3 Comments

  1. They probably copy pasted from the law for other offices.

    There is no such thing as national party registration.

    Texas does not have persistent party affiliation, but George W Bush would have been publicly affilated with the Republican Party throughout 1998. Records of primary affiliation are maintained, and will be used as a campaign issue.

    A better example would be Vermont and Bernie Sanders. Vermont hands a voter several party ballots. We don’t know whether Sanders ever voted in a Democratic primary. We do know he has refused to permit the use of the Democratic label when he has run for office.

    This is in contrast with Howard Dean who had been elected Vermont governor as a Democrat. It is not likely that Sanders will ever head the DNC.

    When this was raised as an issue in 2015, the NH SOS, suggested that he would accept Sander’s self profession of registration, unless some raised a claim that he had perjured himself.

  2. @Walter: NO, NH does allow for a weird method of fusion, but it’s not an option for President and a candidate can only file as a candidate for a single party or as an independent candidate.

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