Local Group Protests Trustee Elections

A group of New Hampshire conservatives and libertarians protested in front of Baker Library this morning, demanding the right to participate in Dartmouth’s Trustee election in what one organizer called “election fun.”

Nathaniel Ward

New Hampshire libertarians demand the right to vote in the Dartmouth Trustee election Friday.

Per an 1891 agreement with the College, Dartmouth’s roughly 60,000 alumni select one-half of the Board of Trustees.

Ed Naile, president of the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers and a Republican election monitor, said that since Dartmouth students not from New Hampshire are allowed to vote in state and local elections, New Hampshire residents who are not alumni should be allowed to vote in College elections.

“As it stands right now, many out of state students attending Dartmouth vote in Hanover and help choose my U.S. senator, congressman, governor, state senator and state representative,” Naile said. As many as 400 invalid votes were cast in Hanover in 2002, he added. He said town officials barred him from challenging voters during the 2004 election.

Activist Michael Lorrey said by email that New Hampshire voters have every right to participate in Dartmouth’s governance. “We have endured years of pontificating and sermonizing by holier-than-thou politically correct Dartmouth professors, so we feel like we’ve earned the requisite credit hours.”

New Hampshire libertarians should come to Hanover and demand ballots, Lorrey said.

All present said they would vote for petition candidates Peter Robinson ’79 and Todd Zywicki ’88.

Update: Lorrey further elaborates his arguments on his blog.