“You say something enough times, you make enough allegations, people start to believe it, and then they assume that there is rampant corruption,” Phil Runyon, the Peterborough town moderator, said, referring to voter confidence in elections at a Community Conversation event Thursday.

As distrust of elections roils national politics, Runyon and former Republican congressman Charlie Bass, now co-chair of the New Hampshire chapter of the Democracy Defense Project, delivered a blunt reassurance: New Hampshire’s elections are honest, and the proof is there for anyone who wants to look.

“The fact that people are raising questions about the accuracy and the validity of elections doesn’t mean there’s been any change in how those elections are actually conducted,” Runyon said.

Richard “Dick” Swett, co-chair of the Democracy Defense Project, former U.S. ambassador to Denmark and a former Democratic congressman, was scheduled to join Bass and Runyon for Thursday night’s discussion at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture but was unable to attend because of travel delays.

The Democracy Defense Project, founded in 2024, is a nonprofit organization based in eight battleground states that works to create a bipartisan effort to defend democracy and transparency in the U.S. More specifically, the New Hampshire chapter focuses on voter confidence in the state.

Bass said the elections in New Hampshire are trustworthy.

“I’m a great fan of how elections are run in New Hampshire. I think they are run well. I think they are honest. I think they are fair,” he said.

Runyon reaffirmed Bass’ statements. As town moderator for the past 15 years, he said Peterborough’s local elections are completely trustworthy. He pointed out that national ballots are kept for 22 months and local ballots for 90 days to ensure the public has time to question results. The machines are tested, and the town invites residents to watch the testing every election season. No one has ever come, he said.

He also said it is a collaborative effort among local New Hampshire town moderators to ensure elections are fair and run well. “We’re doing the best job that we possibly can, and I think we’re doing a good job,” he said.

Bass said that allegations of election fraud were not new, pointing to the 1960 vote-count dispute in Illinois in the presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon and the more recent issue of hanging chads in Florida in the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

What is different, he said, was the response. Gore and Nixon accepted the results.

Runyon added that of the more than 60 voter fraud challenges filed in 2016, none prevailed.

Questions and comments ranged from worries about campaign funds to misinformation online and the purpose of the Electoral College.

A question about campaign contribution limits led to a brief discussion of the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that lifted campaign finance restrictions for corporations and other groups.

Lisa Sieverts of Harrisville encouraged the more than 60 attendees to honor the memory of “Granny D.” Doris “Granny D” Haddock, from Dublin, was the founder of Open Democracy and, at age 90, completed a 3,200-mile walk across the United States for campaign finance reform. “One person can do a lot,” Sieverts said.

Kate Coon of Peterborough brought up a recent ruling reversing the 2024 New Hampshire law, House Bill 1569, that required new voters to provide proof of citizenship. Now, first-time voters will be able to use a legally binding affidavit to prove citizenship.

She pointed out another law that restricts the photo identification voters can use at the polls. As of June 2, a law signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte requires government-issued IDs, meaning student IDs are no longer permitted.

Questioning the use of data in reaffirming voter confidence, Richard Dufresne, a former select board member in Sharon, shared his personal experience with elections and their powerful impact.

“One of the things that is very moving is when a parent brings in a child; there’s just this moment of transition for a young person. This is a change in one’s life … it’s almost like entering a sacred space when people are going to vote,” Dufresne said.

To end the night, but not the conversation, Runyon called for everyone to fill out their ballots. “Please do vote,” he said.

Community Conversations is a series created in partnership between the Monadnock Center for History and Culture and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript.