In a recent campaign event in Portsmouth, former President Donald Trump made inaccurate statements about the voting rules for the upcoming New Hampshire primary. Trump erroneously asserted that New Hampshire laws permit Democrats to vote in the Republican primary, a claim aimed at undermining Nikki Haley’s growing popularity in the state.
The Facts
Contrary to Trump’s assertions, registered Democrats are not allowed to participate in the New Hampshire GOP primary. The state’s voting laws permit only Republicans and independents to vote in the Republican contest. This is not the first instance of Trump spreading misinformation about election processes. His track record includes repeated false claims about mail-in ballots and other voting rules during the 2020 elections.
New Hampshire’s Independent Voters
New Hampshire boasts a significant proportion of independent voters, often referred to as “undeclared.” The state allows these undeclared voters to participate in either party’s presidential primary. They can choose which ballot to cast when they arrive at their polling place. However, the state’s voting laws do not permit registered Democrats to vote in the GOP primary.
“Registered Democrats cannot vote in the Republican primary, and registered Republicans cannot vote in the Democratic primary,” New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan clarified in a conversation with CNN. “We’ve been pretty clear about the process.”
Trump’s erroneous claim that “Democrats … can walk in and just sign up right away” to vote in the Republican primary seems to be a confusion between the voting rules for independents and his perceived rules for Democrats.
Trump’s History with Independent Voters
Interestingly, Trump did not express concerns about the role of independent voters in the 2016 New Hampshire primary, which he won decisively. CNN exit polls suggest that 42% of all voters were independents, and Trump secured a larger share of their support than any other candidate. This time around, however, it appears that Haley might have the upper hand with independent voters. In the recent Iowa contest, Trump outperformed Haley by 39 points among Republican voters, but his lead among independents was a much narrower eight points, according to CNN entrance polls.