With the election just around the corner a week from Tuesday, here’s what you need to know before voting Nov. 3, including changes made by the Legislature since the last statewide election in 2024.
Where do I vote?
There’s a complete list of all the 300+ polling places in New Hampshire online at app.sos.nh.gov/statelistclerkandpolling. (SOS stands for the Secretary of State’s office, which oversees elections in New Hampshire). It includes the voting hours.
Am I registered to vote?
City clerks are now required to update voting checklists every year and remove people who haven’t voted in the previous five years, even if they still live in town and meet other voting requirements. By some reports, 100,000 names were removed from checklists after the requirement was tightened.
To make sure you’re still registered to vote in your town or ward, check the state database at app.sos.nh.gov/voterinformation.
If you’re not there, get registered! But don’t panic: you can always register at the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3.
How to register to vote
To register to vote, you have to prove you are at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and live in the area served by the polling place.
For a list of potential documents to show each of these requirements, see sos.nh.gov/elections/register-vote.
Your identity and age can be proven by a driver’s license, government-issued photo I.D. or passport/passport card. College I.D.’s cannot be used following a long legal tussle; they were removed from the list of acceptable documents this year by the GOP-controlled legislature.
As for residency, a New Hampshire driver’s license is fine as is vehicle registration or federal picture identification. Also accepted is government-issued paperwork such as a check, benefit statement or tax document, if your address is listed.
You can use non-government paperwork to prove where you live such as a utility bill or lease agreement, but you must fill out a document saying that you don’t have the other documents. People who are homeless can vote after filling out a “Homeless Confirmation of Domicile” form. College students from out of state without a N.H. driver’s license who live in a dorm must gave a dorm assignment form issued by the school and also sign a form that says they don’t have any other proof of residency.
To prove citizenship, a U.S. birth certificate or passport/passport card are the usual methods, although naturalization papers or other proof of citizenship issued by the United States Department of State are also acceptable, as is “other reasonable documentation which indicates the applicant is a United States citizen,” according to the Secretary of State’s office.
If you have voted in the past in New Hampshire but have moved to another town or voting ward and need to register anew, the fact that you’re in the statewide registration database is considered acceptable evidence of U.S. citizenship, no need for a passport.
If you don’t have acceptable paperwork, you can still vote but must fill out a “qualified voter affidavit” saying that you don’t possess some or all of the documents necessary to prove your citizenship and that you live locally. Be honest: this is subject to the penalties for voter fraud.
I’ve never voted; how does it work?
There will be lots of people at the polling place to help you who are used to dealing with confused people! If there’s no line, the whole process will take less than 10 minutes.
If you want to prepare yourself before going into the voting booth, take a look at a sample ballot — they’re all available at sos.nh.gov/elections/sample-ballots. Or read election stories in your local newspaper!
