Voting in New Hampshire
 |
| Select a state from the menu below to learn more. |
Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
This page includes the following:
- Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
- Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
- Absentee/mail-in voting rules[1]
- Early voting rules
- Convicted felons' voting rights
- Election administration costs report
- Election agencies list
- Election policy ballot measures list
- Election policy legislation list
See Election governance in New Hampshire for more detailed information about election and voting policy in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.
Voter registration
To register to vote in New Hampshire, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, an inhabitant 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.[2][3] 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.[2]
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.[2]
Verification of citizenship
New Hampshire requires prospective voters to either provide proof of citizenship or sign an affidavit in order to register to vote.
Verifying your registration
The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voting in elections
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
New Hampshire requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[4]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2019. 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 the federal government
- Photo ID card issued by the motor vehicles division, department, agency, or office of any other state
- United States armed services identification card
- United States passport or passcard
- Valid student identification card issued by a college, university, or career school in New Hampshire
- Valid student ID from a public high school in New Hampshire
- Valid student ID from a nonpublic high school in New Hampshire
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.[4]
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.[4]
Background
As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[5][6]
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing 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.[7] To search for the hours your polling place is open, click here.
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in New Hampshire
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.[8][9][10][11]
Absentee voting
- See also: 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:[12]
- 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.[12]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
New Hampshire does not permit early voting.
As of April 2021, 38 states and the District of Columbia permitted early voting. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day. States that do not permit early voting still permit some or all citizens to vote early by mail—often known as absentee voting. Some states allow no-excuse absentee voting, while others require an excuse. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted among early voting states. Click here for early voting laws by state.[13]
Convicted felons' voting rights
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In New Hampshire, individuals convicted of a felony regain their voting rights automatically upon completion of their prison sentence. Felony is defined as, "A crime committed against the laws of this state or of the federal government for which a sentence of death or imprisonment in the state prison or a federal prison or penitentiary." Click here for more information about New Hampshire's policy regarding felony convictions and voting rights.
Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[14][15]
Election administration costs
National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.[16]
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both) |
| Alaska Delaware |
Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island |
Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia |
Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington |
| Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018 | |||
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in New Hampshire can contact the following state and federal agencies.
Secretary of State
- 107 North Main Street
- Concord, New Hampshire 03301
- Telephone: 603-271-3242
- Email: elections@sos.state.nh.us
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in New Hampshire.
- New Hampshire 18 Year Old Voting Age Amendment (1974)
- New Hampshire Election by Plurality, Question 8 (1912)
- New Hampshire Legislative Representation, Question 4 (1920)
- New Hampshire Legislative Representation, Question 5 (1930)
- New Hampshire Modifications Related to Elections Amendment (1976)
- New Hampshire Remove Provision Disqualifying Women From Voting for State Offices, Question 1 (1958)
- New Hampshire Right to Vote Amendment (1921)
- New Hampshire Right to Vote Amendment (1968)
- New Hampshire Right to Vote for Untaxed Amendment (1968)
- New Hampshire Voters Required to Read and Write English, Question 1 (1903)
- New Hampshire Voting Rights for the Convicted, Question 7 (1912)
Election policy legislation
The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the New Hampshire state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Hampshire voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections in New Hampshire
- New Hampshire elections, 2022
- New Hampshire elections, 2021
- New Hampshire elections, 2020
- New Hampshire elections, 2019
- New Hampshire elections, 2018
- New Hampshire elections, 2017
- New Hampshire elections, 2016
- New Hampshire elections, 2015
- New Hampshire elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 New Hampshire Secretary of State, “How to Register to Vote,” accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “Registering to Vote in New Hampshire,” November 7, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Voter Identification Law," accessed October 4, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," June 5, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “New Hampshire Election Laws - Chapter 659,” accessed October 17, 2019
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote,"Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ William M. Gardner Secretary of State,"Voting in Party Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2018 Mail Primary or General Absentee Ballot Instructions," accessed October 27, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Laws Governing Early Voting," August 2, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ American Civil Liberties Union, "State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws," accessed September 13, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018
 |
State of New Hampshire Concord (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2021 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
