Chairman Berry and Members of the Committee,
U.S. Vote Foundation and its Overseas Vote initiative respectfully urge the New Hampshire House Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee to oppose HB 1342.
HB 1342 is framed as a transparency measure, but in practice it would expose voters protected under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) to unnecessary and serious physical, cyber, and identity-theft risks. The bill would require the public disclosure of highly sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), including full names and current overseas addresses—information that should never be released in full for public inspection.
UOCAVA protects both military and civilian overseas voters under the same federal statute. Yet HB 1342 treats these voters differently, exempting military voters from disclosure requirements while subjecting civilian overseas voters to them. This distinction implicitly acknowledges the security risks involved, while inexplicably leaving one protected group exposed.
In today’s global cyber environment, releasing a voter’s full name, address abroad, and identifying information is a well-recognized security vulnerability. Transparency and accountability in election administration can be achieved without disclosing complete voter identities. Indeed, such safeguards are standard practice in responsible data reporting.
Moreover, the Election Assistance Commission already collects and publishes comprehensive, aggregate data on military and overseas voting after each federal election, including data provided by New Hampshire for many years. This information is publicly available and has long satisfied transparency and reporting needs—without endangering voters or penalizing election officials.
HB 1342 would instead threaten local election officials with fines for refusing to disclose sensitive PII, placing them in the untenable position of choosing between compliance and voter protection. That approach undermines both election administration and public trust.
It is the responsibility of elected officials to safeguard voters from identity theft, coercion, and cyber threats—not to increase those risks. Overseas voters continue to participate in New Hampshire elections while living, studying, or serving abroad. They should not be penalized for exercising their right to vote.
For these reasons, U.S. Vote Foundation and Overseas Vote strongly oppose HB 1342 and respectfully request that the committee reject this bill.
Sincerely,
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat,
President and CEO
U.S. Vote Foundation
January 26, 2026