HB324 Veto Sustained in New Hampshire - a Win for the Freedom to Read

The New Hampshire House of Representatives sustained Governor Kelly Ayotte’s veto of HB 324, rejecting a book ban and criminalization bill by a bipartisan vote of 183–167. HB 324 would have imposed vague, subjective standards on school library materials, opened the door to politically motivated censorship and costly outside litigation, and placed educators and school librarians at risk of spurious prosecutions. The Governor was right to veto this bad bill, and now lawmakers have chosen a path that respects students, educators, families, and the freedom to read.

This Victory Was Built Over Nine Months

Today’s outcome is also the result of nine months of sustained, strategic organizing by a broad, values-driven coalition. Without the statewide polling EveryLibrary and MomsRising New Hampshire conducted in March, we would not have had a path forward. The poll was clear that voters overwhelmingly oppose book bans and that the Governor’s own voters did not want her to sign anything like this into law. EveryLibrary’s petitions and emails to the Governor turned out thousands of parents and voters to ask her to do what was right. Together with the coalition, we had a tremendous pro-reader presence in the media with broad-based op-eds, letters to the editor, and numerous news stories exposing the facts about this legislation.  The capstone event was the coalition silent read-in at the Governor’s office at the state capitol, which put a human face on the fight against censorship.

“We want to thank Governor Ayotte for her clear-eyed leadership,” says John Chrastka, executive director, EveryLibrary. “In her veto message, the Governor stated that “the State of New Hampshire should not engage in the role of addressing questions of literary value and appropriateness,” and warned of the risks of subjective standards and expansive civil actions driven by out-of-state groups. She was right both constitutionally and politically. Today’s sustaining vote affirms that leadership and preserves New Hampshire’s long-standing commitment to local control and student access to information.”

The New Hampshire Freedom to Read Coalition was well-organized, united, and measured in how it went about its outreach, communications, and activation goals. As a national partner, EveryLibrary was there to listen to the local pro-reader anti-censorship agenda and help to amplify it. “I want to lift up the extraordinary leadership of MomsRising NH, whose organizing, parent engagement, and on-the-ground advocacy were indispensable,” adds Chrastka. Coalition partners, including NEA-New Hampshire, AFT-NH, NH Outright, ACLU-NH, Black Lives Matter NH, Engage NH, Authors Against Book Bans NH, and many others, consistently showed up, spoke with moral clarity, and kept the focus where it belonged: on students, families, and local decision-making. You can read the coalition statement about sustaining the HB324 veto here.

SB 33 Is the Same Bill, and It Should Not Pass

While we celebrate the Governor’s decision to veto HB324 and the legislature’s clear-eyed vote to sustain, we must look ahead to January 2026 and the start of the next legislative session. SB33, another censorship bill, was held over by pro-censorship legislators in the House for a vote this session. Make no mistake, SB 33 is essentially the same bill as HB 324. In fact, it extends censorship beyond books to include web pages, videos, artwork, performances, and other educational materials. It carries the same constitutional flaws, creates the same chilling effect, and invites the same kinds of harm to readers as the bill the Governor already vetoed. We do not see why the House should approve it in January. The House should table or reject SB 33 outright.

If the House makes the wrong choice when the legislature reconvenes, we are asking Governor Ayotte to again be ready with her red pen and veto SB 33. New Hampshire voters understand this issue. They feel that book bans are unpopular, unnecessary, and harmful. They expect their elected officials to do the same.

Today’s vote proves that when we help stakeholders organize, when coalitions hold together, and when facts prevail over headlines, bad bills can be stopped. We are proud to have played our part through polling, strategy, messaging, and coalition support. We are even prouder to stand alongside New Hampshire advocates who showed what sustained civic engagement can accomplish. because the freedom to read is always worth defending.  

We believe that this approach to coordinated, evidence-based advocacy works. If you agree and want to see more wins like this, please consider becoming a donor today.  All of our work in this campaign to secure a veto was only possible because of our donors, both individuals and from the vendor community. We expect to have more bills like HB324 and SB33 to fight.