WASHINGTON — In the first round of primary voting ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the race is now down to two Republican candidates–but who exactly is casting ballots? We’re looking into claims that the results in the GOP race could come down to who Democrats choose.
THE QUESTION:
Can Democrats Vote in the New Hampshire Republican Primary?
THE SOURCES:
- The New Hampshire Secretary of State website, SOS.NH.GOV
- Spokesperson for the office of SOS David M. Scanlan
THE ANSWER:
No, Democrats cannot vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary–at least, Democrats who’ve made their party affiliation official.
WHAT WE FOUND:
It can be a bit confusing, with all the pundit talk of Nikki Haley working to win over independent voters, along with a repeated claim from her challenger, former President Donald Trump.
"Nikki Haley in particular is counting on the Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary,” Trump told a crowd of supporters ahead of the state’s January 23 election date.
But registered Democrats cannot cast a ballot in the Republican race.
According to the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s webpage on voting procedures, a voter registered with a particular party can vote in that party’s primaries. Registered voters whose party affiliation is “undeclared” may also vote in a primary, choosing either a Democratic or Republican ballot upon voting. But a registered Democrat cannot complete a Republican ballot—or vice versa.
However, that’s not to say there aren’t people who identify as Democrats but register as independent and are then able to cast Republican ballots.
According to the Secretary of State’s data, there are 261,254 registered Democrats; 267,768 registered Republicans, and 344,335 registered independents on the voter rolls.
The office says nearly five thousand voters changed their party affiliation in the weeks leading up to the deadline to do so back in October, including 408 voters switching from Democratic to Republican, and 3,542 switching from Democratic to undeclared.