Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midterms

The Supreme Court ruled on October 22, 2026, that New Hampshire cannot use student IDs for voting in the upcoming midterm elections, siding with Republicans and the Republican National Committee. The decision follows a recent state law passed this year that removed student IDs from accepted forms of identification for obtaining ballots. A federal judge had previously blocked the state's guidance against using student IDs as backup identification but was overruled by the Supreme Court, which cited the "Purcell principle" – a legal concept stating that lower courts should not alter election rules close to Election Day. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing that the public needs accurate information about voting processes. The ruling affects a closely watched Senate race between Republican former Senator John E. Sununu and Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, which could determine control of the chamber.