US midterms 2026: Supreme Court blocks student IDs as backup voter identification in New Hampshire

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for New Hampshire to prevent voters from using student identity cards as a backup form of voter ID in the upcoming midterm elections, siding with the state in an emergency appeal backed by Republicans.The order was issued on Thursday, less than two weeks before voters head to the polls in a closely contested US Senate race. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only member of the court to dissent publicly.The dispute centres on a New Hampshire law passed this year that removed student IDs from the list of identification documents expressly accepted for voting. The state's secretary of state subsequently issued guidance barring students from using those cards as an alternative means of establishing their identity at polling stations.A judge allowed the law to remain in effect but blocked the secretary of state's guidance in early October. The state then appealed to the Supreme Court, receiving support from the Republican National Committee.In granting the emergency appeal, the justices relied on the legal principle that courts should generally avoid changing election rules shortly before voting takes place.State Representative Donald McFarlane, who sponsored the bill, argued that colleges do not apply the same safeguards as government agencies when issuing student identification cards.“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a victory for common sense,” McFarlane said in an email. “It allows HB 323 to work as intended: strengthening voter identity verification, applying a consistent standard, and maintaining public confidence in New Hampshire elections.”You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.