New Hampshire Voting Guide

How do I register to vote in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire's voter registration laws have changed several times in recent years. Some of these changes are being contested in court. To stay updated on the latest voter registration information, see the voting section of the Secretary of State's website.

You cannot register to vote online. You must register in person. You cannot register by mail unless you qualify for an absentee ballot.

When you register, you will be asked to show proof of identity, age, citizenship, and domicile.

To prove your identity, you must present a photo ID with an expiration date or date of issuance. The ID must not be more than five years expired unless you are over 65.

Valid IDs include:

• Driver's license
• State ID card for voting purposes issued by the New Hampshire DMV
• Armed Services ID card
• Birth certificate
• Passport or passcard
• New Hampshire student ID issued by a college, university or career school, a New Hampshire public high school or accredited non-public high school, Dartmouth college, or a college or university operated within the state university system.

To prove age:

• Driver's license
• Birth certificate
• Passport
• Qualified voter affidavit

To prove citizenship:

• Passport
• Birth certificate
• Naturalization paperwork
• Qualified voter affidavit

To prove residency/domicile:

• NH driver's license or non-driver's license
• NH auto registration
• Military ID
• Sworn statement of domicile
• Photo ID from US Government with address listed
• Lease agreement or rent receipt that has a date
• Written statement from someone else listed on your rental agreement who can attest that you live there
• Written document listing on-campus housing address where you registered to vote or a note from a school official, resident assistant, or dorm supervisor
• Dated utility bill
• Property tax bill
• Hunting or fishing license
• Mortgage or deed
• State or federal tax form
• Letter from homeless shelter where you can get mail

If you register to vote in the 30 days preceding an election and do not bring the required documents to the polls, you can submit a sworn statement that you will provide those documents within a set amount of time.

In-Person Voter Registration

• You can register to vote at your town or city clerk's office.
• You can register with your community's Supervisors of the Checklist. The supervisors hold a registration session 6 to 13 days before the election, on the day before the first day of filing for political candidates, and they may hold additional registration sessions that are posted in the newspaper and at local government buildings. Check your town/city website or call your clerk's office for the date, time, and location of the Supervisor's meeting.
• At your polling place on Election Day.

Registering as a Student

Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 1264 went into effect in 2019. These laws require new voters to prove they live in the state by providing documents showing they have established residence. These have been or are currently being challenged in court by voting rights advocates and the ACLU, who argue that they create barriers to voting for out-of-state students attending college in New Hampshire, even amounting to a poll tax.

In November 2019, US district judge Joseph LaPlante disagreed that SB3 would create confusion and prevent students from voting. He denied a request to block implementation of the new law but asked the New Hampshire Supreme Court to clarify several parts of the law.

New Hampshire Public Radio recently carried a story regarding HB 1264, explaining the uncertainty over how this law will be enforced and whether people who want to register to vote will have to re-register their car in New Hampshire. When asked, the Secretary of State referred questions to the Attorney General's office, which referred questions to the DMV.

Registration for Military and Overseas Voters

You can complete a voter registration application and request an absentee ballot by using the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). You can also access the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot from the FVAP website.

Registration for Survivors of Violence

New Hampshire law allows domestic violence victims to apply for and use the Address Confidentiality Program to keep their name, address, and contact information from appearing in publicly available records.

Information for Supervisors of the Checklist – those with authority to add or changes names in the voter registry – says that an order of protection must be on file. The New Hampshire Department of Justice, however, says that “having a restraining order, criminal charges pending, or even reporting the abuse to law enforcement are not required in order to participate in the ACP."

Registration for Homeless or Impermanent Voters

When you complete the voter registration form, you will need to provide proof of “domicile." You can ask your homeless shelter or another service provider for a note that states you receive US mail there. You can also provide a note from someone who owns, leases, rents, or supervises a property where you live, confirming that you live there. This Confirmation of Domicile Form is satisfactory proof of domicile.

Registration for Formerly Incarcerated Voters

You must re-register to vote after you have been served your sentence.

Check the Status of Your Voter Registration

Remember, you are not automatically registered to vote simply because you completed a voter registration application. The information provided on your application must still be verified by the Supervisors of the Checklist. You will be contacted when your voter registration application is approved, or if more information is needed.

You can check the status of your voter registration.

When is New Hampshire's voter registration deadline?

In New Hampshire, you can register to vote at your polling place on Election Day.

The latest date before that day to register is at the meeting of the Supervisors of the Checklist held six to 13 days before each state election. Check your town/city website for the time and location of the Supervisor's meeting.

How do I request an absentee ballot in New Hampshire?

In order to apply for an absentee ballot in New Hampshire, you must have a valid reason. The following are allowable reasons to vote with an absentee ballot:

• Religious observance
• Physical disability or illness
• Survivor of domestic violence or a person with an active protective order who is participating in the Attorney General's address confidentiality program
• Absence from the area of your polling place during polling hours such as out-of-town or overseas business, military service. These voters may use the FVAP website to request an absentee ballot.
• Employment obligations that make it difficult to reach the polls, such as emergency service provider, or caretaker of children or infirm adults (even if you are not being paid for such care)

You should request an absentee voter registration form and affidavit from your town or city clerk. The form and affidavit must be completed, witnessed, and returned along with copies of documents showing evidence of qualifications to your town or city clerk.

New Hampshire takes weather events into account. If the National Weather Service issues a winter storm warning, blizzard warning, or ice storm warning for Election Day, elderly, infirm, and disabled people who might have voted in person can request to vote absentee if they fear for their safety. If school, childcare, or elder care facilities will be canceled due to the storm, the caretaking voter may request to vote absentee. A ballot will be available at the City Clerk's office and you can vote in such an instance the day before Election Day before 5 p.m.

You can request an absentee ballot here. 

What do I need to bring to the polls in New Hampshire?

If you are already registered to vote, the only thing you need to bring to the polls is a photo ID.

If you don't have a valid ID, you can sign a "challenged voter affidavit" swearing that you are who you say you are. Your photo will be taken and attached to the affidavit. If you have religious objections to having your photo taken, you can sign an affidavit of religious exemption.

If you fill out a challenged voter affidavit, the Secretary of State will send you a letter asking you to confirm that you voted in the election. If you do not respond in writing within 30 days of the date it was mailed, the Attorney General will conduct a fraud investigation.

If you have not registered to vote, you can do so at the polls. See How Do I Register To Vote, above, for a list of documentation you will need to bring to prove citizen, age, residency, and identification.

What special accommodations are available?

The New Hampshire Attorney General enforces election laws, including the requirements for accessible voting. Poll stations should have:

• A van-accessible parking space and other available handicapped parking, if there is a parking lot
• A reasonably smooth route from the accessible parking spaces to an accessible building entrance that is clearly marked and able to accommodate a wheelchair
• A ramp or elevator, if needed
• An accessible voting booth with a shelf or table
• Tabletop voting screens, which allow a voter to sit at a table and mark a ballot

At a state election with a federal office on the ballot, each polling place must be equipped with an accessible voting system. A tablet computer attached to a printer allows a voter to produce a marked ballot using either an audio or an enhanced visual interface. A voter who needs assistance marking his or her ballot can ask for help from an election official or a person of the voter's choosing

If you are unable to enter the polling place due to disability, you can request an absentee ballot.

What do I do if I see something illegal at the polls?

Federal law protects voters at the polls from voter intimidation, voter harassment, and other barriers to voting. New Hampshire restricts political signage and political speech within a corridor at least 10-feet wide (but how far that corridor extends beyond the polling place doors is determined by the Moderator of the polling place).

New Hampshire enacted a new provision in 2015 that banned people within polling places, including average citizens waiting to vote, from wearing any campaign material in the form of a pin, sticker, or article of clothing. This is due to a concern of coercion. Voters will be asked to cover up or remove those items. The polling place Moderator can report them to the Attorney General's office.

Federal law outlaws fraudulent election activities that can damage the integrity of an election, such as buying and selling votes, altering votes, marking ballots for voters other than how they instructed (for voters who need assistance), voting by another name, and voting at more than one location.

Report suspected illegal activity to a poll workers at your polling station. Or make a complaint to your town or city clerk or the Secretary of State website: www.sos.nh.gov. Email: elections@sos.nh.gov. You can also report voting law violations to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Finally, you can contact a New Hampshire attorney experienced in voting law if you feel your voting rights have been violated.