Voting & Elections Toolkits

Deadline

• Registration is allowed at the polling place on election day
• Before election day, the last day to register is by the last meeting of the Supervisors of the Checklist, which occurs 6-13 days before each state election
• Check the town or city website or call the clerk's office for information about the Supervisors meeting
• Find out who the town or city clerk is and where the office is located

In-person registration

May be done prior to an election at your town or city clerk's office or with your community's Supervisors of the Checklist or on election day at your polling place.

The voter registration form is available at the town or city clerk's office.

Mail-in registration

Available to those who meet the state's qualifications and are unable to register in person because of disability or temporary absence.

Request an absentee voter registration affidavit, NH voter registration form, and instructions from your town or city clerk.

Online registration

There is no online registration in New Hampshire.

Choosing a political party:  

You may choose a political party affiliation when you register, but it is not required.                 

Updating registration      

To update registration after a move, name change, or change of political party affiliation, visit your town or city clerk's office.

Party affiliation may be changed with the clerk of the town or city where you are domiciled or at any scheduled meeting of the Supervisors of the Checklist except for during the period of time between the first day of the filing period for the primary election and/or the presidential primary election and the date of the primary election itself.

Cancelling registration

The board of supervisors of the checklist or board of registrars in each town or city maintain the checklist. To remove someone from a voter roll, contact the local supervisors of the checklist or the town clerk.

ID Requirements for Voting

First-Time Voters

First-time voters who need to register, please see the Registration tab for information. First-time voters who are already registered, please see the information for All Other Voters below. 

All Other Voters

Voters who are not voting for the first time can present:

• An acceptable photo ID that includes an expiration date or date of issuance, OR
• Verification of the voter's identity by a moderator or supervisor of the checklist or clerk of the town, ward, or city.

Photo IDs include

• 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
• US armed services identification card
• US passport or passcard
• NH student ID card
• A photo ID not mentioned above but determined to be legitimate by the moderator, supervisor of the checklist, or clerk of the town, ward, or city.
• Verification of the voter's identity by a moderator or supervisor of the checklist or clerk of a town, ward or city (not a ballot clerk)

Any voter unable to provide the identification above will be permitted to vote after executing a challenged voter affidavit.

An acceptable photo ID must have an expiration date or date of issuance. The ID will remain valid 5 years beyond the expiration date unless the voter is 65 or older in which case an acceptable photo ID may be used without regard to expiration date. The name on the ID shall substantially conform to the name on the checklist.

For more information, please see the NH Voter ID Law Explanatory Document

Where to get an ID

Department of Motor Vehicles

• Locations

Obtaining a Driver’s License

• New license
• Transferring from another state
• Obtaining a non-driver photo ID

Absentee voting

Opening/closing dates

• Absentee ballots will be sent in response to verified requests until 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election.
• Envelopes containing your absentee ballot must be received by the clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day.

Military voters and voters who reside outside the U.S.

• Envelopes containing your absentee ballot must be received by the clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day.
• Federal Post Card Application for Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request (FPCA)
• Here is more information regarding Uniformed & Overseas Voters
• Federal Voting Assistance Program - NH

Who is eligible to use an absentee ballot?

In order to apply for and receive an absentee ballot, one of the following must be true:

• You will be absent from your town or city on election day
• You are unable to vote in person by reason of a physical disability
• You are a member of the armed forces (or a spouse or a dependent of a member) and will be absent on election day
• You are living overseas
• You cannot appear in pubic because of observance of religious commitment
• You cannot appear at any time during polling hours at your polling place because of employment obligations, which includes the care of children and infirm adults, with or without compensation
• You are a victim of domestic violence, have an active protective order, and are participating in the Attorney General's address confidentiality program
• You are an emergency services worker called into service under the circumstances set forth in RSA 657:21-a
• You are confined to a penal institution for a misdemeanor or while awaiting trial

An absentee ballot can also be requested on the Monday immediately prior to an election if the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, blizzard warning, or ice storm warning for election day applicable to your town, city, or unincorporated place and either you are elderly or infirm or have a physical disability, and would otherwise vote in person but you have concerns about your safety traveling in the storm OR you anticipate that school, child care, or adult care will be canceled and you would otherwise vote in person but will need need to care for children or infirm adults.

Application for Absentee Ballot

Requirements and Instructions for Absentee Ballot

Absentee Ballot Instructions and Applications

Track your absentee ballot

Polling places and hours

• Use the Search Polling Places and Sample Ballots by Address for state elections
• For a listing of polling place locations, hours, and clerks
• For a general election or primary, polling hours in New Hampshire vary by town or city. Use the Polling Place Search above to get the hours for your location.
• Time off to vote: New Hampshire does not require an employer to provide employees time off to vote, either paid or unpaid. It does provides that an employee who is unable to vote on election day due to employment obligations is considered absent and entitled to absentee voting.

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places. Some of these include:

• Lyft provides free or discounted rides in some underserved communities
• Political parties sometimes arrange rides for voters. Contact the local office:
  • Republican Party
  • Democratic Party

Help for voters with disabilities

• Disability Rights Center- NH receives funding through the Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA) program to help people with disabilities to vote more independently and privately
• For more information regarding Voters for Disability, please visit the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Voters with Disabilities FAQs and Voting with Disabilities pages.

Ballots

Search Polling Places and Sample Ballots by Address

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

• Search Polling Places and Sample Ballots by Address

Important Dates

Presidential Primary - January 23, 2024

Town Election - March 12, 2024

SB2 Town Elections - March 12, 2024

SB2 Town Elections - April 9, 2024

Alternate Town Election - May 14, 2024

SB2 Town Elections - May 14, 2024

State Primary Election - September 10, 2024

General Election - November 5, 2024

2024-2025 Political Calendar

Who conducts elections?

• The Secretary of State is the chief election officer for the state and prepares and distributes (a) the election-related items as provided in the election laws and (b) the election procedure manual.
• The moderator is the chief election officer in charge of the polls; in cities, the city clerk is the Chief Election Officer for the city. Moderators preside at town meetings.
• The Supervisors of the Checklist register voters and maintain voter checklists for each town or city.
• Town clerks coordinate elections and town meetings, review and deliver ballots, and administer absentee balloting for each municipality.

Voter Bill of Rights

New Hampshire doesn't have a voter bill of rights.

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted

If you have witnessed efforts to commit any kind of fraud or corruption in the voting process, you may report this to:

• The Moderator at your polling place
• The N.H. Attorney General's Office at 1-866-868-3703 (866-VOTER03) or electionlaw@doj.nh.gov.  Click on Election Law Complaint for more information.
• The Secretary of State's Office at 603-271-3242 or elections@sos.nh.gov

For federal offenses, you may also notify the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire at 603-225-1552
If you have witnessed actual or attempted acts of discrimination or intimidation in the voting process, you may report to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice at 202-514-4609 

Campaign finance

NH Campaign Finance System provides access to information filed by candidates, Political Committees, and Candidate Committees.

How to contact your elected officials:

Find your state legislator.

Government Resources in New Hampshire.