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. To stay updated on the latest voter registration information, see the elections section of the New Hampshire Secretary of State's website.

In New Hampshire, you cannot register to vote online. Voter registration is only available in person at your town or city clerk's office. You can also register with your community’s Supervisors of the Checklist. Election day registration is also available at the polling place.

When you register, the city clerk will ask you to show proof of your identity, age, and domicile. Some of the acceptable forms of voter ID include the following:

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

To prove age:

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

To prove citizenship:

• U.S. 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.

Some voters may also qualify for voter registration through mail. You should qualify as an absentee voter to do so.

Registration for Military and Overseas Voters

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) allows you to complete a voter registration and file an absentee ballot request. 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. The Supervisors of the Checklist state that this is effective if an order of protection is on file.

The New Hampshire Department of Justice says that having a restraining order, criminal charges pending, or even reporting the abuse to law enforcement are not required to participate in the ACP.

Registration for Homeless or Impermanent Voters

When you complete the voter registration form, you must provide proof of domicile. You can ask your homeless shelter or another service provider for a note stating that you receive U.S. mail there. You can also provide a note from someone who owns, leases, rents, or supervises a property that confirms you live there. 

Registration for Formerly Incarcerated Voters

After you serve your sentence, you must file a voter registration again.

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

If you register to vote, you only need to bring a photo ID to the polls.

If you do not have a valid ID, you can sign a challenged voter affidavit swearing that you are who you say you are. Election officials will take your photo and attach it 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.

You can do so at the polls if you have not registered to vote. See How Do I Register To Vote above for documentation you must bring to prove citizenship, age, residency, and identification.

How can you check your voter registration status?

You can check your voter registration status through the Voter Information Lookup online tool by the New Hampshire Department of State.

You are not automatically registered to vote because you completed a voter registration application. The Supervisors of the Checklist must still verify the information on your application. They will contact you when they approve your voter registration application or if they need more information.

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 Supervisors of the Checklist meeting held six to 13 days before each state election. Check your town or city website for the time and location of the Supervisor's meeting.

How do I request an absentee ballot in New Hampshire?

You must have a valid reason to apply for an absentee ballot in New Hampshire. 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. This includes out-of-town or overseas business or military service. These voters may use the FVAP website to request an absentee ballot
• Employment obligations that make it difficult to reach the polls include emergency service providers, caretakers of children, and infirm adults

You should request an absentee voter registration form and affidavit from your town or city clerk’s office. The form and affidavit must be completed, witnessed, and returned to the clerk’s office. You should also include copies of documents showing evidence of your qualifications for absentee voting.

New Hampshire takes weather events into account. If the National Weather Service issues a winter, blizzard, 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 by 5 p.m.

What special accommodations are available?

The New Hampshire Attorney General enforces election laws, including the requirements for accessible voting. Polling places 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 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, election officials should equip polling places with an accessible voting system. They should attach a tablet computer to a printer, allowing voters to produce a marked ballot using audio or an enhanced visual interface.

A voter who needs assistance marking their ballot can ask for help from an election official or a person of the voter's choosing

If you cannot 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, harassment, and other barriers to voting. New Hampshire restricts political signage and speech within a corridor at least 10 feet wide. The polling place moderator determines how far that corridor extends beyond the polling place doors.

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 poll workers at your polling station. You can also make a complaint to your town or city clerk or:

• The New Hampshire Secretary of State website: www.sos.nh.gov/elections
• Email: elections@sos.nh.gov

You can also report voting law violations to the U.S. Department of Justice. If you feel your voting rights have been violated, you can contact a New Hampshire attorney experienced in voting law.

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. If you feel like your voting rights were violated, consider consulting with a civil rights attorney.