By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

A Goffstown resident has filed complaints with the New Hampshire Secretary of State and the Assistant Attorney General about materials allowed and forbidden on polling grounds during the voting on March 14.

Allowing a Department of Public Works newsletter to be set on a table outside the Goffstown High School gymnasium during ballot voting appeared to violate election laws, said resident Wayne Perrault in a letter to Assistant Attorney General Orville Fitch and Secretary of State William Gardner.

Perrault refers to the “Public Works News,” which was on tables outside the gymnasium on election day. The newsletter had a front-page story headlined, “Excavator: The right tool for the job enhances the Road Program,” while other headlines stated “The right equipment saves money” and “About your road program.”

On the ballot that day was Article 12, seeking $1.8 million for the town’s road improvement plan; and Article 17, requesting $100,000 for the purchase of an excavator.

“I don’t think there’s any question about it – that literature was clearly meant to influence voting,” said Perrault, who sponsored newspaper advertisements opposing articles 12 and 17 before election day.

Perrault names in his complaint the town of Goffstown, the town administrator and the Department of Public Works.

Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux said Town Moderator Rod Stark is responsible for determining what is allowed at polling places on voting day.

Stark said he was not familiar with Perrault’s complaint.

Stark acknowledged that the Department of Public Works had asked him to place the newsletters at the high school on election day, and Stark had agreed.

“They asked me if they could; I didn’t view it as campaigning. I viewed it as public information. In my judgment, it was appropriate,” Stark said of the public works newsletters.

In his letter of complaint, Perrault also mentions that Stark asked him to remove a button supporting the fire department’s efforts to institute an around-theclock coverage schedule known as “Goffstown 24/7,” and that that The Goffstown News was not allowed to distribute its latest edition, containing candidate profiles, at polling places.

Stark said he did remember asking someone to remove a Goffstown 24/7 button, but he does not recall if that person was Perrault, or even if that person removed the button.

Regarding The Goffstown News, Stark said the paper was not allowed in the polling place as a matter of fairness.

“When the person called who asked me to bring the papers to the polling place, I told him my problem was that it would have paid advertising in it, and that it had some candidate profiles but not all of them,” Stark said.

In his letter of complaint, Perrault said fairness was the reason he was questioning this year’s activities at the poll in the first place.

“Fair is fair. We should all have to abide by the same election laws. If I cannot wear a button and the Goffstown News cannot be allowed on polling grounds on election day then the DPW cannot be allowed to place their literature in support of their articles in the same place,” Perrault wrote.

In the final vote results, Article 12 passed 1,928-1,268, and Article 17 failed, 1,239-1,884.