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New Hampshire state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

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2018 New Hampshire
State Legislature elections
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GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimarySeptember 11, 2018
2018 elections
Choose a chamber below:


The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the New Hampshire State Senate and New Hampshire House of Representatives were on September 11, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in New Hampshire, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 15, 2018. In the state Senate, all 24 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 400 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of November 2017, New Hampshire was one of 26 Republican trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

    • Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

    Retiring incumbents

    Forty-one state House Democrats did not seek re-election in 2018.

    One state Senate Democrat did not seek re-election in 2018.

    Incumbents defeated

    Six state House Democrats were defeated in their primaries.

    Competitiveness

    See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and New Hampshire state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
    Year Total seats Open seats Total candidates Democratic primaries contested Republican primaries contested Total contested Incumbents contested in primaries Total incumbents contested in primaries
    2018 424 105 866 34 36 15.4% 86 27.0%
    2016 424 117 865 25 52 16.9% 125 40.7%
    2014 424 122 878 20 57 16.9% 98 32.5%

    Partisan control

    The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the New Hampshire State Senate as of September 2018:

    New Hampshire House of Representatives

    Party As of September 2018
         Democratic Party 173
         Republican Party 216
         Libertarian Party 2
         Vacancies 9
    Total 400

    New Hampshire State Senate

    Party As of September 2018
         Democratic Party 10
         Republican Party 14
         Vacancies 0
    Total 24

    Battleground races

    Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 New Hampshire state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Democratic caucus or had an impact on general election races.

    To determine the New Hampshire state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

    1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
    2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
    3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.


    Media coverage

    This section provides an overview of media reactions to the New Hampshire state legislative Democratic primaries.[5] Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the elections.


    Voter information

    How the primary works

    A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Hampshire uses a semi-closed primary system. Unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary, but in order to do so, they have to choose a party before voting. This changes their status from unaffiliated to affiliated with that party unless they fill out a card to return to undeclared status.[6][7][8]

    For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

    Poll times

    In New Hampshire, polling place hours of operation vary. According to state law, polling places must be open between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Localities may set their own polling hours as long as they are open during those hours prescribed by state law.[9] To search for the hours your polling place is open, click here.

    Registration requirements

    Check your voter registration status here.

    To register to vote in New Hampshire, each applicant must provide documentary proof of United States citizenship, be a resident of New Hampshire, and at least 18 years old by the next election. Individuals may register to vote at the local clerk's office, with the community's supervisors of the checklist or registrar of voters, or at the polling place on the day of the election. Applicants must fill out a voter registration form and either show proof of identity and citizenship or sign an affidavit witnessed by an election official.[10][11] Absentee registration is allowed for those who are “unable to register in person because of physical disability, religious beliefs, military service, or because of temporary absence.” Absentee registration requires mailing a voter registration form and witnessed absentee voter registration affidavit to the local clerk.[10]

    Automatic registration

    New Hampshire does not practice automatic voter registration.

    Online registration

    See also: Online voter registration

    New Hampshire does not permit online voter registration.

    Same-day registration

    New Hampshire allows same-day voter registration.

    Residency requirements

    In New Hampshire, citizens can register to vote the day they move to the state.[10]

    Verification of citizenship

    See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

    New Hampshire requires voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, as of June 2025. Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed HB 1569 into law on September 17, 2024. The legislation required voter registration applicants to provide one of the following at the time of registration: "birth certificate, passport, naturalization papers if the applicant is a naturalized citizen, or any other reasonable documentation which indicates the applicant is a United States citizen."[12]

    All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[13] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

    Verifying your registration

    The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

    Voter ID requirements

    New Hampshire requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[14]

    The following list of accepted ID was current as of June 2024. Click here for the New Hampshire Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

    “
    • Driver’s license issued by any state or federal government;
    • Non-driver ID card issued by NH DMV or motor vehicle agency of another state;
    • Photo ID card for “voting identification only” issued by NH DMV;
    • U.S. armed services identification card;
    • U.S. passport or passcard;
    • NH student ID card (Dated within the past 5 years. Must be from a school on the approval list provided to the Secretary of State each year by the Department of Education.);
    • Photo ID not mentioned above, but determined to be legitimate by the moderator, supervisors of the checklist,

    or clerk of a town, ward or city.[15]

    		”

    Additionally, a poll worker may verify the voter’s identity. If anyone authorized to challenge a voter objects to the poll worker’s verification, the voter would have to complete a challenged voter affidavit.[14]

    Voters without proper photo identification can complete a challenged voter affidavit. A poll worker will take a photo of the voter and attach it to the affidavit. The voter may then cast a regular ballot. If the voter objects to being photographed for religious reasons, he or she can complete an affidavit of religious exemption, which will be attached to the challenged voter affidavit.[14]

    Early voting

    New Hampshire does not permit early voting.

    Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

    Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

    Absentee voting

    A voter is eligible to vote absentee in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[16]

    • The voter will be absent from his or her polling location on the day of the election.
    • The voter is unable to visit the polls because of the observance of a religious commitment.
    • The voter is unable to visit the polls because of a physical disability.
    • The voter is unable to visit the polls because of an employment obligation.
    • The voter is unable to visit the polls due to military service.

    There is no specific deadline to apply for an absentee ballot. The completed ballot must be returned either in person by 5:00 p.m. the day before the election or by mail. If returned by mail, the ballot must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Election Day.[16]


    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Stallcop switched from the Democratic Party to the Libertarian Party on May 10, 2017.
    2. ↑ Katsiantonis resigned on January 3, 2018.
    3. ↑ Snow resigned in 2017.
    4. ↑ Rice passed away in January 2018.
    5. ↑ In selecting articles for inclusion in this section, Ballotpedia has drawn from a variety of sources and viewpoints to identify articles that are representative of broader trends in media coverage.
    6. ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed April 25, 2023
    7. ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
    8. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State,"Voting in Party Primaries," accessed April 25, 2023
    9. ↑ New Hampshire Revised Statutes - Title 63, Chapter 659.4," accessed April 25, 2023
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 New Hampshire Secretary of State, “How to Register to Vote,” accessed June 25, 2024
    11. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “Register to Vote,” accessed June 25, 2024
    12. ↑ General Court of New Hampshire, "CHAPTER 378 HB 1569-FN - FINAL VERSION," accessed November 14, 2024
    13. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 State of New Hampshire, "Voter ID Law Explanatory Document," accessed June 25, 2024
    15. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Absentee Ballots," accessed April 25, 2023
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