Voting In New Hampshire

To be eligible to vote in New Hampshire you must be:

• 18 years of age or older on Election Day
• A U.S. citizen

There is no minimum period of time you are required to have lived in the state before being allowed to register. You may register as soon as you move into your new community.

When registering to vote, you are required to provide proof of identity, age, citizenship, and domicile. To prove age, any reasonable documentation indicating you are 18 years of age or older is acceptable. If you do not have sufficient proof of identity, citizenship and domicile, you may sign an affidavit.

If you are a registered voter, you do not need to show identification at the polls.

You may register at the polls ON Election Day by 5pm. If you would like to be listed in the registration database before Election Day, your resgistration form must be received by your local Board of Elections 10 days before Election Day. Your registration will be valid wither way.

To verify your voter registration status, please contact your town or city clerk.

If you meet the state's voter requirements and qualifications and are unable to vote in person because of a physical disability, religious belief, military service, or because of a temporary absence, you may register for an absentee ballot by mail. You should request an absentee voter registration affidavit and a standard voter registration form from your town or city clerk. The absentee voter registration affidavit must be witnessed, and then both the affidavit and the voter registration form are to be returned to your town or city clerk.

Absentee ballots are available from your town or city clerk online or in person 30 days prior to the election. When requesting the absentee ballot application, please include your name, voting address, mailing address, and signature. Clerks may accept completed absentee ballots submitted in person until 5:00 pm the day before an election or until 5:00 pm on Election Day if received through the mail. An application for an absentee ballot may be transmitted by facsimile to a town or city clerk.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.

New Hampshire does not have early voting.

Future election dates are to be determined. Check your state's resource for local election dates and information.

In order to be a poll worker in New Hampshire:

• You must be registered to vote in New Hampshire
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You will be entitled to compensation
• Political affiliation required
• You must be a resident of the voting district
• You must complete required training
• Students who are 17 years of age may be appointed at the central polling place in state elections

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

The polling place hours of operation vary in New Hampshire. In general, polling places open between 6:00 am and 11:00 am and close at 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm.

Time off to vote is subject to the employer. New Hampshire state law does not require employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: New Hampshire State Poll Locator Tool. If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Because there is Election Day registration, there is no provisional ballot process in New Hampshire.

The voting systems used in New Hampshire are optical scan and paper ballots.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Paper Ballots: Paper ballots are one of the oldest ways of voting in America. They are still used in a few places on Election Day. When you come to the polling place, you will get a paper ballot from the poll worker. You take it to the voting booth, and use a pen or pencil to mark a box next to your candidate and issue choices. You then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures is available here.

All polling places have accessible equipment for voting. The vast majority of polling places are handicapped accessible.

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.