How to register to vote in New Hampshire, find polling places

Here is some important information about voting in New Hampshire.General Election Day InformationElection Day is Nov. 5, 2024. Find your polling placeGo to the secretary of state’s website to search by name or address.Polling place closing times vary across the state. Some polls close at 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., while the last polling places close at 8 p.m. Anyone in line when polls close will still be allowed to cast their ballot.How to register to vote & voter ID informationAnyone who is a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old and someone domiciled in New Hampshire can vote. There is no minimum amount of time needed to live in New Hampshire before voting in this state.To register to vote, you can fill out a voter registration form at your local town hall up to 6 to 13 days before an election or on the day of the election at your polling place. People need to bring something to prove their citizenship, their age, their primary address and identity. According to the secretary of state’s office, here are some examples of proof:U.S. citizenship: Birth certificate, U.S. passport, naturalization papersIdentity and age: Driver’s license, government-issued photo IDNew Hampshire residence: photo ID with a current address listed, a rental agreement or utility bill that lists your current address, a note signed by a New Hampshire school officialFind a list of acceptable forms of ID here.Voter affidavit form informationAny first-time voters lacking the necessary proof of their identity, citizenship and/or age can vote by an affidavit ballot. Registered voters who do not bring an ID to the polls can sign a challenged voter affidavit form. In these scenarios, a law that took effect in January 2023 requires voters to provide the proper documents within seven days after signing the affidavit form. If those documents are not provided within seven days, the ballots will be thrown out and vote totals will be adjusted. Problems at the polls?Contact the moderator at the polling location. If your problem is not addressed, you can also reach out to your town or city clerk. Find out the contact information for your town or city clerk here. Also, the New Hampshire attorney general has set up a voter hotline to report problems or ask questions. Voters may call 1-866-868-3703 (1-866-VOTER03) on Election Day. The hotline will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. If the caller reaches voicemail, officials say they should leave a message. Emails can also be submitted to the Election Law Unit at electionlaw@doj.nh.gov.Dress code for votersAnyone wearing campaign-related apparel will be asked to remove it or cover up inside the polling location. Anyone who refuses still has the right to vote, but they could be reported to the attorney general’s office for a violation, according to the secretary of state.What about campaign signs?There are no campaign signs allowed inside polling places, but outside each location will be an “electioneering zone,” where campaigns can hold signs.Voting information for college studentsCollege students from outside New Hampshire can either vote in New Hampshire or their home state, but not in both places. The secretary of state’s office has more information here. Absentee votingVoters can vote absentee if they are unable to vote in person. See the full list of reasons that are accepted here. Before an election, voters can request absentee voting forms from their local town clerk. Absentee votes are due in person at their local town clerk’s office the day before an election, or if they are being sent by mail, they need to arrive by 5 p.m. on Election Day. More information from the secretary of state’s office can be seen here.Other than absentee voting, there is no “early voting” process in New Hampshire like is seen in other states.Sample ballotLooking for a sample ballot? Visit this link. Once in the link, enter your voting ward and see what your ballot will look like on Nov. 5.Constitutional amendment: Judicial retirement age There is a constitutional amendment on the ballot that pertains to changing the retirement age for state judges. Today, the mandatory retirement age for state judges, including members of the state Supreme Court, is 70.The proposed amendment would change the mandatory retirement age to 75. A “yes” vote is a vote in favor of changing the mandatory retirement age for state judges from 70 to 75. A “no” vote would be a vote in favor of keeping the judicial retirement age where it is today.Learn more about this constitutional amendment here.Where candidates stand on key issuesGovernor1st Congressional District2nd Congressional DistrictNew election rules law (takes effect after election)On Sept. 12, 2024, Gov. Chris Sununu signed a new voting rules bill into law. This law will not be in effect until after the general election.When it does take effect, it will require anyone registering to vote in New Hampshire to prove valid citizenship with documents such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers. The new law also will remove all exceptions to the state’s voter ID requirements and eliminates the affidavit ballot system.Again, this law will not be in effect until after the Nov. 5 election.Sign up for the WMUR Politics NewsletterYou can receive the latest political headlines in your inbox each weekday morning.Sign up for the politics newsletter here.

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