Latest news with #DavidScanlan
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Hampshire Secretary of State details answers to Trump voter registration inquiry
New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan on Friday released an eight-page letter with detailed responses to the Trump administration's 15 questions about the state's voter registration process, including why the state rejected the request to disclose the statewide voter list. 'New Hampshire law authorizes the Secretary of State to release the statewide voter registration list in limited circumstances not applicable here,' Scanlan wrote. The Trump administration is seeking millions of names from targeted states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Scanlan explained that state law permits his office to, 'upon request, provide a political party, political committee, or candidate for county, state, or federal office, 'a list of the name, domicile address, mailing address, town or city, voter history, and party affiliation, if any, of every registered voter in the state.'' Scanlan told Trump administration officials they were free to go community by community to get voter lists from each clerk or supervisors of the checklist, and he shared a website link to city and town clerk contacts. Before answering the Trump administration's questions, Scanlan provided three paragraphs of 'prefatory remarks' as a primer on what information he could or couldn't share. 'Regardless of the fact that election systems and assets are critical infrastructure, divulging any cybersecurity information could harm the integrity of the systems. Therefore, our responses to questions regarding database infrastructure may be limited depending on the nature of the question,' Scanlan wrote. Scanlan's letter also included a sample voter registration form and Memorandum of Understanding for Help America Vote Act implementation and enhanced data exchange for database accuracy. Trump's inquiry Questions from the Trump administration ranged from basic information for how voter registration works in New Hampshire to specific ways in which the information is confirmed, shared and managed. Here are some examples of the questions: * Describe how the statewide voter registration list is coordinated with the databases of other state agencies. And provide the name of each state database used for coordination and describe the procedures used for the coordination as well as how often the databases are coordinated with the statewide voter registration list. * Describe the process by which registrants who are ineligible to vote due to non-citizenship are identified and removed from the statewide voter registration list. * Describe the state's requirement for an individual to vote if the individual registered to vote by mail and has not previously voted in an election for federal office in the state. * Describe the verification process that election officials perform to verify the required information supplied by the registrant. And describe what happens to the registration application if the information cannot be verified. * Describe the process by which deceased registrants are identified and removed from the statewide voter registration list. Other questions asked for how the state handles voters convicted of a felony, duplicate voter registrations, security measures and how the state removes registered voters who have moved to another state. Scanlan's answers The Secretary of State's Office outlined the step-by-step processes that are used in each aspect of voter registration, providing detail at the state level all the way down to how communities manage their checklists. In terms of New Hampshire's citizen requirement, he described the new law that went into effect this year. 'The statute lays out several types of acceptable documents to prove citizenship: 'the applicant's birth certificate, passport, naturalization papers if the applicant is a naturalized citizen, or any other reasonable documentation which indicates the applicant is a United States citizen,'' Scanlan wrote. For voters who have died, Scanlan described how the communities across the state remove voters from the rolls if they died here or elsewhere. The process involves comparing official death records and how municipal clerks receive official notice of a voter's death and then remove the names locally. Most of Scanlan's answers read like a textbook or quoted New Hampshire law directly. He provided each specific statute number, leaving it up to federal officials to read further on their own. He also provided contact information for the Division of Motor Vehicles and website links for further information. To read Scanlan's letter, visit dpierce@
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NH rejects Trump request for list of registered voters
Citing a black-and-white voting records privacy law, Secretary of State David Scanlan flatly rejected the Trump administration's demand for New Hampshire's list of all registered voters, part of an organized White House campaign to seek millions of names from targeted states in advance of the 2026 midterm elections. A little over a week ago, President Donald Trump signaled his focus remains on the falsehoods that he has spread about his 2020 presidential election defeat. Trump posted on social media that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be looking into 'The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020.' The push for the voting data has election observers wondering if the aim is to build a file of voter intelligence that could help Trump become more immune to partisan losses in the midterm elections. More than 350 election officials from at least 33 states joined a recent conference call to hear from Democratic and Republican lawyers who offered their insights about the implications of the administration's demands. On June 25, Acting Chief of the Civil Rights Division Maureen Riordan and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Gates wrote Scanlan, presenting him with a 15-point punch list of voter information. N.H. rejects Trump administration request for registered voters list The Trump administration's Justice Department sent demand letters to election officials in New Hampshire and eight other targeted states requesting a complete list of registered voters along with 14 other items. Secretary of State David Scanlan said the state can't meet that demand, citing a 2003 law that defines these records as confidential. This image is from a town meeting last March which was the first election when a new law kicked in that new voters would have to prove identity, citizenship and domicile to register to vote. The letter cited the federal Help America Vote Act as the authority for Justice to request information on voter registration, including how the state identifies illegal immigrants who may seek to vote or culls from the voting rolls dead voters or those convicted of a felony. 'Please include both active and inactive voters,' the letter states in asking for lists of registered voters. The Washington Post first reported this story, noting that the inquiries for the voter list were a mix of blue and red states including New Hampshire, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. On that list, Wisconsin and Nevada were the only two that were battleground states that decided the 2024 election, an electoral vote romp for Trump over Democrat Kamala Harris because Trump swept all seven battleground states. Trump was competitive in the Granite State, but he has lost all three presidential races in New Hampshire. Curiously, the Union Leader has confirmed there were other states such as Pennsylvania that received the same letter demand, which was identical except it did not have the critical 15th action item — a copy of the voter registration list. Pennsylvania has long been a battleground state. Its majority for Joe Biden ensured Trump's defeat in 2020, but Trump recovered to take it last November. Law created in 2003 The New Hampshire Legislature in 2003 created a law spelling out how the voter database is to be compiled, monitored and protected. It contains a strikingly stark privacy provision that makes the documents not only secret but undiscoverable in a court case. 'The voter database shall be private and confidential and shall not be subject to RSA 91-A (Right-to-Know Law) and RSA 654:31 (Voter Checklist Law) nor shall it or any of the information contained therein be disclosed pursuant to a subpoena or civil litigation discovery request,' the law reads. Anna Sventek, Scanlan's communications director, confirmed Scanlan's office spoke with a Justice Department official about the request. 'We had a conversation with them about New Hampshire statutes relative to the availability of voter checklist information and made them aware of RSA 654:45,' Sventek said, alluding to the law and its privacy provision.' N.H. rejects Trump Justice Dept. demand for registered voter list David Scanlan 'No further action has been taken or requested.' The law permits designated local and state ballot officials to have access to the database for the purpose of verifying registration information for elections. Also, the law permits the data to be shared with state and federal court officials strictly for the preparation of jury lists. Judge granted exception in ALCU suit vs. N.H. A federal judge recently granted an exception to the New Hampshire privacy law, agreeing to allow the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire access to it. The ACLU-NH sued the state over a new Republican-led law that compels first-time voters to show proof of citizenship when they register. State prosecutors argued giving the ACLU the database was too much of a risk. A New Hampshire federal judge disagreed, pointing to a previous lawsuit in which the same information was shared with opposing lawyers without adverse consequence. The Post reported that Colorado and Florida provided information to the Justice Department from their lists while officials in other states said they were reviewing requests. David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, who was on that conference call, said election officials worry about 'federal imposition' that could override their authority. Some inquiries 'The DOJ seems dead set on acquiring personal information on voters, including driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers and dates of birth — records that are highly protected under federal law and under state law and which state election officials are sworn to protect,' Becker said. Some of the inquiries to states went beyond the fact finding sought from New Hampshire and others. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told ABC News her office got a letter in May after Justice officials said they 'recently received a complaint alleging noncompliance' with the Voting Rights Act. The letter was signed by Harmeet Dhillon — an assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division — who was formerly a Trump campaign legal adviser. klandrigan@
Bloomberg
21-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
How Is the Economic Downturn Affecting Singapore's Rich?
Each week we bring you insights into one of Asia's most dynamic economies. If you haven't yet, please sign up here. This week, Ishika Mookerjee watches the economic downturn hit even the affluent; Reinie Booysen and David Scanlan queue up to get their holiday money in Singapore's currency corridor; and Saira Asher tries a super-salty pizza.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers decide which bills worth negotiating and kill the rest
On a day when the House and Senate created negotiating committees to try and salvage 50 bills, they voted to summarily kill about 15 others after concluding that compromise was unlikely to be reached on them. A major reform bill (SB 297) that hit the cutting room floor Thursday was the pitched battle between Secretary of State David Scanlan and HealthTrust, the state's largest risk pool, over whether Scanlan should get enhanced power to regulate these groups that manage insurance plans for units of government. Last week, the House of Representatives rejected Scanlan's reforms in favor of an amendment that would have let the groups decide whether to come under the regulation of Scanlan's office or the Insurance Department. Without debate, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Dan Innis, R-Bradford, asked the Senate to 'non-concur' on the House changes and the Senate did on a voice vote which killed the measure. Scanlan said killing the bill made sense. "I am pleased the Senate voted to non-concur on the House amended version of SB 297. What began as an attempt to improve the transparency and accountability of pooled risk organizations entrusted with $750 million taxpayer dollars became an attempt by one risk pool to move to a regulatory environment favorable to them without addressing the underlying concerns," Scanlan said in a statement. Ivermectin bill rejected The Senate also decided to reject out of hand a controversial House-passed proposal (SB 119) to allow any doctor or pharmacist to provide ivermectin to any patient without a prescription. Ivermectin was created as a drug to treat parasites for animals but in the past decade it proved to be a prize-winning medication to treat humans for similar conditions. During COVID-19, the drug became a viral sensation for many Americans who used it to respond to the virus. House Democratic Floor Leader Lucy Weber of Walpole had argued against giving ivermectin the special status of having a 'standing order' for any patient. She noted the only medications that have that designation are EpiPens that treat allergic reactions, smoking prevention drugs and some forms of contraception. This was the main reason that former Gov. Chris Sununu gave when he vetoed a similar bill to this one. Rep. Yuri Polozov, R-Hooksett, said he pursued the bill because during the pandemic many medical providers were ostracized or even sanctioned for prescribing ivermectin. Many other bills were also killed because sections that legislators still wanted to survive had been tacked onto another bill. In this case, the original bill the House amended to favor ivermectin was expected to save the state up to $9 million a year to allow health care providers to prescribe brand name drugs in the Medicaid program if they have discounts or rebates that make these medications cheaper to purchase. The state Senate tacked that provision onto the trailer bill of its state budget. In a similar vein, the Senate on Thursday killed a bill (SB 60) dealing with legalized gambling that would have taken from state regulators and given to the Legislature the authority to write rules regarding immunization requirements. The House had already tacked that section onto the version of its own budget trailer bill. Another bill (SB 100) that died Thursday was meant to alter a 2021 ban on teaching discrimination in public schools to respond to a federal judge's ruling that struck it down as unconstitutionally too vague. The House-passed language would require a showing that the educator 'knowingly' was advocating bias in his or her teachings. Some socially conservative groups that supported the law had warned lawmakers that the House bill only addressed a small part of the legal flaws with the existing law. The Senate also rejected a House-passed bill that would have created a court docket to resolve disputes over so-called blockchain currencies such as bitcoin (SB 25). klandrigan@
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State's lawyer claims HealthTrust misrepresented itself in court deposition
On the eve of a critical House vote about the future of risk pool groups that manage insurance plans for units of government, lawyers for Secretary of State David Scanlan argued the head of HealthTrust, the state's largest pool, had lied or misled during a recent court deposition. Scanlan's lawyer accuses HealthTrust of giving misleading deposition A lawyer representing Secretary of State David Scanlan (pictured) hass accused the chief executive of HealthTrust of misrepresenting the group's legal authority during a recent court deposition. Richard Gagliuso of the BernsteinShur firm accused HealthTrust Executive Director Scott DeRoche of misrepresenting the makeup of his organization. 'We continue to be troubled by your client's dissemination of statements that appear to be knowingly, if not intentionally, misleading with respect to the nature of the coverage offered by HealthTrust and the ultimate responsibility of the political subdivision members for the liabilities of the program,' Gagliuso wrote to lawyers for HealthTrust. In that deposition, DeRoche said HealthTrust is a 'self-insurer' that provides 'fully insured' coverage to member towns, cities, school districts and other governmental bodies. 'HealthTrust is not offering such coverage by 'obtaining insurance' from an insurance carrier. Your argument further begs the question of where such coverage is 'provided by law,'' Gagliuso responded. 'To the contrary, HealthTrust apparently contends that it is self-insuring for fully insured health coverage.' Scanlan's legal team maintains HealthTrust and all the risk pools are self-insured plans under RSA 5-B, the 2010 state law that put them under regulatory control of the secretary of state's office. The House of Representatives on Thursday will vote on amended legislation (SB 297) that would allow HealthTrust and the three other risk pool groups to decide if they would rather come under the supervision of the Insurance Department. HealthTrust executives came out in support of the legislation. 'We view the amendment as ensuring a viable and valuable risk pool environment for the benefit of New Hampshire's political subdivisions and taxpayers,' the group said in a statement. Scanlan strongly opposes the change and supports the original measure from Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, to give his office more sweeping powers over the finances of these groups. In pursuing the original legislation, Scanlan charged that HealthTrust and a second risk pool had been close to insolvent because they failed to raise rates so they wouldn't lose any business. HealthTrust officials insisted those statements were untrue. The other risk pool Scanlan named, the New Hampshire Interlocal Trust, voted to leave the market, and a judge named a receiver to take over its finances. HealthTrust's board has threatened that it would dissolve the organization if Scanlan's proposal became law. 'Accordingly, we call upon your client once again to cease and desist from making false statements about the nature of the coverage offered to New Hampshire political subdivisions through HealthTrust's pooled risk management program and to withdraw or correct such statements as may circulating in the public,' Gagliuso added. In a statement, DeRoche insisted that he hasn't misrepresented the group's mission. 'HealthTrust has served the public sector of New Hampshire for four decades. Over this time, we have offered the same model of coverage, which provides for fixed health coverage costs during a plan year. This model provides the predictability that public sector employers, employees, and taxpayers rely upon,' DeRoche said. Last month, HealthTrust's lawyer defended DeRoche's statements in a separate court filing. The deposition arose after the city of Rochester filed for information under the state's Right-to-Know Law about HealthTrust's specific claims data as it considered whether it wished to self-insure on its own. HealthTrust denied the request, saying to reveal this information would compromise its competitive position in the risk pool marketplace. Last week, the Senate Finance Committee voted to tack into its proposed trailer bill to the state budget (HB 2) a requirement that risk pools and insurers provide 'deidentified' information about such claims. klandrigan@
