New Hampshire Supreme Court Says “No” to Letting 17-Year-Olds Vote in Primaries

On May 19, the New Hampshire Supreme Court said a bill letting underage citizens vote in primaries, if those voters were going to be age 18 by the time of the general election, would violate the State Constitution. New Hampshire is one of the few states in which the State Supreme Court is entitled to decide whether a bill is constitutional or not, before it has become law. Here is the opinion. The case is called Opinion of the Justices, Voting Age in Primaries, 2008-292. The bill, SB 436, had already passed in the Senate, and the House had requested the ruling.

The State Constitution says, “All elections are to be free, and every inhabitant of the state 18 years of age and upwards shall have an equal right to vote in any election.”


Comments

New Hampshire Supreme Court Says “No” to Letting 17-Year-Olds Vote in Primaries — No Comments

  1. I didn’t realize NH allowed those types of opinions on pending legislation. It’s a good thing, though, as it heads off unconstitutional legislation at the pass and saves a ton of time and money on later litigation.

    I wish every state and the feds had this option.

    As for the ruling itself, it’s correct, prima facie.

  2. Ohio does as well.

    If parties want government-sponsored primaries, then they have to play by the government’s rules. A private convention would not be an election under the NH Constitution, so the point would be moot.

  3. Maryland now allows 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections, too, if they will be 18 by the general election.

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