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Laws governing local ballot measures in New Hampshire

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Laws governing ballot measures in the U.S.
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Laws governing ballot measures in the U.S.

Changes to laws governing ballot measures

Types of ballot measures

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Select a state from the dropdown to learn more about laws governing ballot measures in that state.

This page describes the state constitutional provisions and statutes that govern local ballot measures in New Hampshire. Jurisdictions often establish additional rules within the parameters of state law; those can be found in local ordinances and home-rule charters.

Explore the links below for more information:

Law

The New Hampshire Constitution and New Hampshire Revised Statutes establish the rules that govern local ballot measures in the state.

General

The following outlines the general rules that govern local ballot measures in New Hampshire, including both citizen-initiated measures and referred measures from local government bodies.

  • Vote requirements:
    • Most local ballot measures require a simple majority vote.[1]
    • Adopting a new charter or revising the charter requires a three-fifths (60%) majority vote, while charter amendments require a simple majority.[2]
    • Adopting an SB2 Official Ballot Referendum Form of Meeting for the jurisdiction also requires a three-fifths (60%) majority vote. Towns that adopt the SB2 Official Ballot Referendum Form of Meeting require votes on local issues and warrant articles to appear on a ballot and be decided on election day, rather than being decided by voice vote or floor vote at the town meeting.[3]
  • Required ballot measures: New Hampshire law requires voter approval for:
    • Changes to a municipality's charter or form of government.[4]

Initiatives

The following outlines the general rules that govern local citizen-initiated ballot measures in New Hampshire.

  • Authority:
    • Citizens can initiate warrant articles in towns and school districts, which can be placed in the warrant for the annual town meeting if signature requirements are met.[5]
    • Charter amendments can also be initiated in towns.[2]
  • Signatures
    • A warrant article in a town or school district must receive signatures from 25 registered voters or 2% of the registered voters in that jurisdiction, whichever is less. However, the minimum signature requirement is ten signatures.[5]
    • Charter amendments require signatures equal to 15% of ballots cast at the last regular municipal election. The minimum signature requirement is ten signatures.[6]
  • Deadlines:
    • A warrant article for a town must be submitted no later than the fifth Tuesday before the annual town meeting.[5]
    • A school district warrant article must be submitted no later than 30 days before the school district meeting or the second Tuesday in March, whichever is earlier.[5]

Referrals

The following outlines additional rules that govern local referred ballot measures in New Hampshire.

  • Authority:
    • Local governing bodies can refer warrant articles and questions to voters.[5]
    • Municipal officers can also refer charter amendments.[6]
  • Deadlines:
    • Charter amendments and warrant questions must receive at least one public hearing, with the proposed text appearing in a public notice, before being decided by voters.[6]
    • For towns that adopted the SB2 Official Ballot Referendum Form of Meeting, a public hearing must be held on the ballot measure between 15 and 30 days before the question is voted on.[7]

Laws governing local ballot measures in the U.S.

Laws governing local ballot measures in the United States

As state laws govern ballot measures, the rules are different from state to state. Click on a state below to explore that state's laws on local ballot measures.

http://ballotpedia.org/Laws_governing_local_ballot_measures_in_STATE

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ New Hampshire State Statute, "Section 40:13," accessed December 19, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Hampshire State Statute, "Section 49-B:6," accessed December 19, 2025
  3. ↑ New Hampshire Revenue, "Technical Assistance for SB2," accessed December 19, 2025
  4. ↑ New Hampshire Constitution, "Bill of Rights," accessed December 19, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 New Hampshire Statutes, "Chapter 39," accessed December 19, 2025
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 New Hampshire State Statute, "Section 49-B:5," accessed December 19, 2025
  7. ↑ New Hampshire State Statute, "Section 40:14," accessed December 19, 2025
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