How to Register to Vote

New Hampshire residents who will be 18 years of age or older on Election Day and are a United States Citizen may register with their Town or City Clerk. According to State Law you may register to vote up to ten (10) days prior to an election, unless that day falls on a holiday, in which case it would be up to seven (7) days prior to the election. You may also register to vote on Election Day at the polling location.  THE POLLS ARE OPEN FROM 7:00 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M. UNLESS POSTED OTHERWISE. 

The Town Clerk's Office is open for voter registration Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Friday, 8:00 am to 12:30 pm. All applications must be approved by the Checklist Supervisors before being added to the checklist.

​REGISTERING TO VOTE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

This guidance was revised on November 7, 2018, to comply with a court order enjoining enforcement of Senate Bill 3 (2017). Do not rely on published versions of the election laws or sections of the Election Procedure Manual that relate to statutes amended by Senate Bill 3.

To be eligible to register and vote in New Hampshire a person must be:

• 18 years of age or older on election day;
• A United States citizen; and
• Domiciled (1) in the town or ward where the person seeks to vote.

To register, you will need to provide proof of your identity, age, citizenship, and domicile. Proof can be either by documents or if you do not have documents with you, by affidavit. Documents may be presented in paper or electronic form.

• A driver’s license or non-driver ID from any state satisfies proof of identity and age.
• A birth certificate, U.S. Passport/Passcard, or naturalization document satisfies proof of citizenship.

Note: A New Hampshire Real ID compliant driver's license is NOT proof of U.S. Citizenship.

If you do not have these, you can prove your identity, age, and/or citizenship, by signing a Qualified Voter Affidavit, under oath, in front of an election official.

You will also need to prove that you are domiciled in the town or ward where you intend to vote. Proof can be either by documents, or if you do not have documents with you, by affidavit. The law requires a document that “manifests an intent to maintain a single continuous presence for domestic, social, and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government.” RSA 654:12 .

There are many types of documents that will satisfy this requirement. A court order has enjoined the enforcement of statutes that list examples of satisfactory documents. However, the documents listed in those statutes were recognized by election officials prior to the adoption of Senate Bill 3. The following documents are examples of satisfactory proof of domicile:

• A New Hampshire driver’s license or non-driver ID showing your current domicile address;
•  A document from the school that you attend, showing that you live in campus housing. A document issued by the school that has your name and the address where you live satisfies the requirement. Many colleges and universities provide students with satisfactory documents already. Students may also use a smart phone or other electronic device to show the election official a page from the college or university’s official student electronic records web site, which lists the student’s dorm assignment or off-campus residence address. Some universities have established an on-line web page resource specifically for this purpose. Consult your school officials if you are unsure how to find and display this information from your school’s system.
• A note signed by a school official, including a Resident Assistant or other person with supervisory responsibility for your dorm satisfies the requirement under RSA 654:1, I-a.
• A rental agreement, lease, or similar document that shows your name and the address of your domicile. The document must show that you are domiciled at the address on Election Day.
• A document showing that you own the place you are domiciled at, such as a deed, property tax bill, or other similar document that has your name and address.
• ​A New Hampshire resident motor vehicle registration, driver’s license, or non-driver photo ID showing your domicile address.
• A voter photo ID issued by the NH Division of Motor Vehicles at no cost to you.

To obtain a photo ID card that can only be used for voting purposes, ask your town or city clerk or the Secretary of State’s office for a voucher and present it to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Information on the documents you will need to present to the DMV is available here.

• A document showing that you enrolled a dependent minor child in a public school that serves the town or ward of your domicile.
• Any state or federal tax form, other government form, or government issued identification that shows your name and your domicile address.
• Any form from the US Post Office showing your name and the physical address where you are domiciled (not a P.O. Box). The confirmation you received by e-mail or US mail when you reported your new address to the Post Office satisfies the requirement. 
• A public utility bill, such as such as an electric, telephone, water, gas, or other utility bill, with your name and domicile address on it.
• A note from a homeless shelter or other service provider located in the town or ward where you will vote that confirms they will receive US mail sent to you at that address.
• You may also use any other document that shows manifestation of your intent to make the place you claim your voting domicile.

If you have any questions about what will be sufficient proof of domicile, you may call or visit your town or city clerk’s office. Look up your clerk’s address and contact information here: https://app.sos.nh.gov/Public/ClerkDetails.aspx

If you do not have any document proving your domicile, you can prove domicile by signing a Domicile Affidavit.

If you have documents to establish your qualifications, please bring them when you register.
If you do not have documents or forget to bring them:
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE;
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE; and
YOU WILL USE A REGULAR ELECTION DAY BALLOT THAT IS COUNTED ON ELECTION DAY

If you have any questions about the process of registering to vote, do not hesitate to ask at the town/city clerk’s office or the supervisors of the checklist at the polls on Election Day. Your local election officials are there to help you.