An 18-year-old Turning Point Action volunteer was slapped across the face by an older man at a New Hampshire polling location, according to the Belknap County Republican Committee. The man reportedly yelled and cursed at the teen, flashed his middle finger, and then struck him with the back of his hand before the confrontation ended.
The incident happened at Woodland Heights School in Laconia, according to the Belknap County Republican Committee, as reported by the New York Post. Turning Point Action posted video of the encounter on X, and police are investigating, per the same committee's account relayed in that report. Laconia Mayor Mike Bordes confirmed the incident took place in the city, writing that it happened at Ward 5.
Secretary of State Visited the Polling Place Minutes Earlier
New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said he had visited the Laconia polling place where the alleged assault occurred, according to WMUR. Scanlan said he had spoken with the Turning Point Action volunteer who was allegedly assaulted just minutes before the incident happened. He told the station that after voting at the location, he received an alert about the assault.
Scanlan did not mince words about the attack. “There is absolutely no reason to assault any type of individual at the polling place,” he said, per WMUR's report. He added that he was aware of other polling-place incidents where tempers had run high, calling that “not unusual,” but he emphasized that the election overall had been very smooth and that he expected results to be released before the end of the night.
A Broader Pattern of Tension at the Polls
Election officials nationwide have reported rising safety concerns in recent years, even if this specific incident has not been tied to those broader patterns. A 2025 report from the Brennan Center for Justice found that 38 percent of local election officials had experienced threats, harassment, or abuse for doing their jobs, while more than one in four worried about being assaulted at home or at work.
The Brennan Center also found that more than half of surveyed local election officials were concerned about the safety of their colleagues or staff — a notably higher share than in 2023, though about equal to 2022. More than one-third knew someone who had resigned at least partly over safety concerns, up from 22 percent the year before. Separately, Princeton University's Bridging Divides Initiative recorded roughly 170 election-related threat or harassment incidents targeting local officials between January 2022 and November 2024, including at least 16 incidents in October and November 2024 alone.
What New Hampshire Law Says About Assault
Under New Hampshire Revised Statutes Section 631:2-a, a person is guilty of simple assault if they purposely or knowingly cause bodily injury or unprivileged physical contact to another, recklessly cause bodily injury, or negligently cause bodily injury by means of a deadly weapon. The statute lays out the legal definition of the offense but does not by itself establish how, or whether, it applies to the Laconia incident.
