2008 SESSION

08-2630

03/10

SENATE BILL 436

COMMITTEE: Election Law and Internal Affairs

ANALYSIS

This bill enables 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 years of age on the date of the general election.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

08-2630

03/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Paragraph; Eligibility; Voter; 17 Years of Age. Amend RSA 654:1 by inserting after paragraph II the following new paragraph:

III. A person who is 17 years of age, who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of paragraph I, may vote at a state primary election or a presidential primary election preceding a general election at which the person will be 18 years of age.

2 Voter Registration Form. Amend RSA 654:7 to read as follows:

654:7 Voter Registration Form. A standard registration application form shall be used throughout the state. The registration form shall be no larger than 8½ inches by 11 inches. The secretary of state shall prescribe the form of the voter registration form, which shall be in substantially the following form:

Date ______________

VOTER REGISTRATION FORM

(Please print or type)

1. Name __________________________________________________________________

Last (suffix) First Full Middle Name

2. Address _______________________________________________________________

Street Ward Number

____________________________________________________________________

Town or City Zip Code

3. Mailing Address if ______________________________________________________

different than in 2 Street Ward Number

_________________________________________________________

Town or City Zip Code

4. Place and Date of Birth _________________________________________________

Town or City State

Date _______________________

5. If a naturalized citizen, give name of court where and date when naturalized ______________________________________________________________________________

6. Place last registered to vote _____________________________________________

Town or City

_____________________________________________________________________________

Street Ward Number

7. Name under which previously registered, if different from above ______________________________________________________________________________

8. Party Affiliation (if any) ________________________________________________

9. Driver’s License Number _________________________________State _____

If you do not have a valid driver’s license, provide the last four digits of your social security number ___ ___ ___ ___

My name is ___________________. I am today registering to vote in the city/town of ____________________, New Hampshire.

I understand that to vote in this city/town, I must be at least 18 years of age, or 17 years of age to vote in a state primary or presidential primary preceding a general election at which I will be 18 years of age, and that I must be a United States citizen, and I must be domiciled in this city/town.

I understand that I can claim only one city/town as my domicile at a time. A domicile is that place, more than any other, where I sleep most nights of the year, or to which I intend to return after a temporary absence. By registering or voting today, I acknowledge that I am not registering to vote or voting in any other city/town.

I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above qualifications for voting and do hereby swear, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, that I am qualified to vote in the above-stated city/town, and, if registering on election day, that I have not voted and will not vote at any other polling place this election.

___________________________ _________________________________________

Date Signature

In accordance with RSA 659:34, the penalty for knowingly or purposefully providing false information when registering to vote or voting is a class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of imprisonment not to exceed one year and a fine not to exceed $2,000. Fraudulently registering to vote or voting is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.

3 New Section; Registration by 17-Year-Old Voting at Primary Election. Amend RSA 654 by inserting after section 7-b the following new section:

654:7-c Registration by 17-Year-Old Voting at Primary Election.

I. A person who is 17 years of age, who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of RSA 654:1, I, may register to vote at a state primary election or a presidential primary election preceding a general election at which the person will be 18 years of age. Such person may only register at the polling place on the applicable election day.

II. If the supervisors of the checklist determine that the person registering under this section is qualified to vote, the person shall be entitled to vote as if his or her name is on the checklist. The supervisors shall retain the person’s voter registration form and shall add the person’s name to the checklist at their meeting next following the person’s eighteenth birthday.

4 Determining Qualifications of Applicant; Age. Amend RSA 654:12, I(b) to read as follows:

(b) AGE. Any reasonable documentation indicating the applicant is 18 years of age or older, or that the applicant is 17 years of age and will be 18 years of age on the date of the general election if the person is registering under RSA 654:7-c.

5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

• SB436 at GenCourtMobile

Bill Text Revisions

SB436 Revision: 12239 Date: Jan. 1, 2008, midnight

Docket

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