KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Voting in NH if you are Formerly or Currently Incarcerated

You have the right to vote in New Hampshire if you are:

• A U.S. citizen
• 18 years of age or older.
• Not currently in jail or prison (including C1) for a felony.
• And are living in New Hampshire.

This means:

• If you are in jail awaiting trial for any charge, you can vote by absentee ballot.
• If you are in jail for a misdemeanor, you can vote by absentee ballot.
• If you are on parole or probation, you can vote.
• You can vote as soon as you are no longer in jail or prison for a felony. Even if you have only been out for a single day.

Where to Register: 

• At your town or city clerk's office up to a week or two before any election. The exact time depends on your town, and you can check it on the town website.
• You can also register at the polling place on election day!
• If you are currently incarcerated and eligible to vote, call your town clerk and ask them to send a registration packet to the correctional facility you reside in.

What to Bring When Registering

Important Note: Unless you are registering to vote by mail, if you do not have the below documents, you can still vote by signing a legal statement for each missing document.

• Proof of citizenship, age, and ID. A driver's license, passport, or photo ID may be able to prove one or more of these.
• Something that shows where you live, like a utility bill addressed to you, a lease with your name on it, or a note from the property manager saying you live there.
• If you are homeless, the agency that receives your mail can be used as your voting address.

If you are registering to vote by mail, you will have to send a copy of proof of ID and domicile. You cannot generally replace this with a signed statement, but you may call your town clerk and request an accommodation.

Step 1: Find your Polling Place

Go to: https://apps.sos.nh.gov/public/pollingplacesearch.aspx

Step 2: Go Vote!

If possible, show one valid photo ID to the worker at the polls. If you don't have a photo ID listed below, or forget to bring it with you on Election Day, you can still vote by signing an affidavit at the poll. Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Driver's licence from NH or any state (current or expired no more than 5 years)
• Non-driver's photo ID from the NH DMV
• U.S. Armed Services ID card
• U.S. Passport or Passcard (current or expired no more than 5 years if under 65 years of age)
• Valid student ID

After you have received your absentee ballot, you have a few different options to return it. First, fill out the ballot, place it in the inner affidavit envelope, sign the affidavit, and then place that in the outer mailing envelope.

Note: if you are voting by absentee ballot due to COVID-19, you check the “disability” box on the affidavit envelope. 

You can return your ballot by mail before election day, in person at your town clerk's office, or you can drop your ballot off at your polling place the day of the election. If you are returning your absentee ballot to your polling place on Election Day, there is a deadline of 5pm, but if you are there after 5pm, you can still vote with some additional paperwork!

Haven't requested an absentee ballot yet? 

• If you are not currently incarcerated, download and fill out the absentee ballot request form and mail it back to your town clerk.
• If you are currently incarcerated and eligible to vote, contact the town clerk of where you currently reside and request they mail you an application for an absentee ballot. Once you send it back and they process your request form, they will mail you a ballot. 

The following information is for primary elections:

You may choose a political party on the voter registration form. If you choose a party, you may vote only in that party's primary election.

If you want to be an undeclared, "independent" voter, you can decide which party you wish to vote for when you go to the polling place to vote in the primary.

To return to undeclared "independent" status, you must fill out a card before leaving the polling place.