Secretary of State William Gardner on Tuesday took aim at U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a scathing condemnation of the federal voting bill called the For the People Act. >> READ Secretary Gardner’s statement here.“This egregious over-reach of federal authority that flagrantly ignores or diminishes the provisions of our state constitution is wrong,” Gardner wrote. “If we let Washington take away these and other articles in our constitution, they can do other damage to our state, and could put our presidential primary in a perilous position.”Gardner told WMUR on Monday night that, because the bill would supersede provisions of the New Hampshire Constitution and some state voting laws, he was concerned that federal government could override the state law that sets the New Hampshire presidential primary ahead of any “similar election.”In an interview Tuesday after he issued his statement, however, Gardner refused to say specifically how he believes the passage of H.R. 1 would put the primary in peril.“I have always said that I’m not going to give the blueprint” for waylaying the primary, Gardner said. “I’ve never been willing to give the plan for doing it to someone else.”Gardner has been New Hampshire secretary of state since 1976 and has been elected by state lawmakers to 23 two-year terms. Through the years, he has worked deftly with allies and adversaries alike to ensure that the primary kept its leadoff status despite numerous challenges by officials in other states and the national political parties. Rarely, if ever, has Gardner appeared as concerned as he is today about the future of the New Hampshire primary. But the state's all-Democratic congressional delegation brushed aside Gardner's concern.Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, reacting in an interview conducted before he issued his full statement, said:“Federal law does supersede state voting laws when it comes to federal elections. When it comes to primaries, those are determined by the parties and that has been upheld in court for several decades now.“The parties are going to determine what the schedule is for the primary, and you can bet everybody I know in New Hampshire is going to do everything we can to ensure that New Hampshire’s primary remains first,” Shaheen said.Sen. Maggie Hassan's spokesperson, Laura Epstein, said in a statement: “This bill has nothing to do with the presidential nominating calendar, and Sen. Hassan will always stand up to protect New Hampshire's first-in-the-nNation status. The For the People Act takes on corporate special interests by rooting out dark money in politics." U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas voted for H.R. 1 when it passed the House along party lines, 220-210, in early March. Hassan and Shaheen have voiced support and were among the senators who introduced the bill in the Senate.No action has been taken on the Senate version, S.1, to date. Kuster and Pappas defended their votes and took issue with Gardner's assessment of the bill's effect on the primary.Their statements can be seen here and here.New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley slammed Gardner, telling WMUR: “It is one thing to vigorously defend each state’s authority to disenfranchise voters and allow corruption, but it is absolutely inexcusable to drag the New Hampshire primary into this argument. It needs to end now.”But New Hampshire GOP Chair Stephen Stepanek said that Gardner's warning should concern all Granite Staters, regardless of party. His statement is here. WMUR has reached out to Gov. Chris Sununu's office for a comment but has so far received no response.The 700-page bill includes provisions that would override state election laws in several areas. It would require states to offer at least 15 days of early voting and allow universal no-excuse absentee voting, a provision rejected by the Republicans majority in the New Hampshire Senate last week. The bill would also begin automatic voter registration.Gardner wrote that in 1983, Pelosi came to the New Hampshire State House as the leader of a commission of the national Democratic Party “on a mission to take the first-in-the-nation presidential primary away from the people of New Hampshire.“Now, Speaker Pelosi is once again attacking our state by using federal authority through H.R. 1 by rendering articles of our own state constitution null and void.”Gardner wrote that the federal bill, if passed, would override the state’s requirement that voters cite specific reasons to vote absentee. He wrote that H.R. 1 would allow voting to continue after Election Day, with a requirement that the ballots are counted. He wrote that the bill would also mandate early voting.“There are many other examples of our voting tradition, both constitutionally and statutorily, being taken away from us,” Gardner wrote. “The simplicity of New Hampshire elections will be gone.”Gardner questioned why the four members of the state’s congressional delegation support H.R. 1, and he wrote that by supporting the bill, they are “not supporting provisions of our New Hampshire Constitution.” He wrote that many of the provisions of H.R. 1 are already in place in California, Pelosi’s home state.“Speaker Pelosi wants to make New Hampshire and the rest of the country like her state of California,” Gardner wrote. WMUR is seeking comment from Pelosi's office.“New Hampshire has a solid track record for running sound and trouble-free elections that do not warrant this type of federal meddling," Gardner wrote. "What’s good for Speaker Pelosi in California is bad for us in New Hampshire, and our congressional delegation should know that.”603 Forward, a New Hampshire-based progressive youth voting rights organization, said in a statement from executive director Molly Lunn Owen: "Young Granite Staters can see that our democracy is in urgent need of repairs."Sadly, Secretary of State Bill Gardner is more interested in using untrue, tired, fear mongering tactics to protect the status quo. Opposing the For the People Act means you are against the most significant voting rights and democracy reform since the Civil Rights Act and all of its provisions to give power back to everyday Granite State voters and root out the influence of special interests in government."For additional details, read our Monday night report by clicking on the link below: