Gov. Chris Sununu signed a long-awaited bill eliminating voter affidavits, a reversal from concerns he’s shared for months.

It’s a move to protect integrity in the voting process, he said in a statement on Thursday. Voting rights advocates say it’ll disproportionately and negatively affect certain groups of people.

When heading to the polls, New Hampshire voters have previously had the option of listing their information and signing an affidavit if they don’t have the documentation required to cast a ballot. The secretary of state’s office then follows up after the election to verify the information the voter provided. HB 1569, sponsored by Republican Bob Lynn of Windham, changes that – when it goes into effect, voters will have to produce a photo ID or be turned away.

It’ll also require first-time New Hampshire voters to prove they’re U.S. citizens with a passport, birth certificate or other documentation.

Sununu’s said for months that he believes the Granite State’s elections work well and that he hasn’t been looking to change them – but he’s changed his mind, he told the New Hampshire Bulletin earlier on Thursday.

During the summer, he’d also expressed concerns that it’d wreak havoc on this fall’s election cycle, timing-wise. There was a window of time where, if Sununu had signed it, the primary and general elections would’ve operated under separate sets of laws.

But the bill was delayed, and this year’s elections won’t be impacted. There’s a 60-day waiting period, so it won’t go into effect until Nov. 11, nearly a week after Election Day.

Anthony Poore, president and CEO of the nonprofit New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity, said over the summer that this bill could negatively impact some groups, like first-time voters, people of color and residents who are new to New Hampshire.

Housing-insecure people, Poore said, could also have a tough time – even though they’re U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote, they may not be able to confirm a place of residence.

“Why would we make it any more difficult for people to participate in the process unless you want to actively ensure that some folks cannot participate in the process?” Poore told the Monitor in July. “I cannot, for the life of me, understand why we want to impede people’s access to the ballot box.”

Lynn, who proposed the bill, has said he wants to make voting a more intentional process rather than a last-minute effort. Sununu says he wants to protect people’s faith in New Hampshire’s elections for years to come.

“We have a proud tradition and proven track record of conducting elections that are trusted and true,” Sununu said in a statement on Thursday. “Looking forward to the next decade or two, this legislation will instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process.”

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, or send her an email at cma