First Circuit leaves limited student-ID voting option in place

The First Circuit on Oct. 14, 2026, denied New Hampshire officials’ request to pause a limited injunction that allows election officials to consider student IDs as evidence of identity under the state’s alternative voter-verification procedure. The injunction remains in effect while the appeal proceeds.

HB 323 removed student IDs from the forms expressly accepted to obtain a ballot. The U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire’s Oct. 2 order blocked enforcement of a secretary of state directive only to the extent it barred officials from considering student IDs under the alternative procedure. The order did not restore student IDs as stand-alone voter identification, and officials do not have to treat them as conclusive evidence.

The district court granted limited preliminary relief; it did not invalidate HB 323 or finally resolve the constitutional challenge. The procedure applies to voters seeking to establish identity through the alternative process, including student voters who may offer a student ID as evidence.

New Hampshire officials filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 15 seeking a stay. A response was due Oct. 19 at 11 a.m. ET. As of Oct. 18, the application had no listed disposition, and the First Circuit appeal remained pending.