HB 1341 - AS INTRODUCED
2010 SESSION
03/09
HOUSE BILL 1341
AN ACT relative to election day procedures.
This bill clarifies certain voter check-in procedures relating to changes to the checklist and placement of challengers.
This bill was requested by the department of state.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
10-2240
03/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten
AN ACT relative to election day procedures.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Obtaining a Ballot. Amend RSA 659:13 to read as follows:
659:13 Obtaining a Ballot. A person desiring to vote shall, before being admitted to the enclosed space within the guardrail, announce his or her name to one of the ballot clerks who shall thereupon repeat the name; and, if the name is found on the checklist by the ballot clerk, the ballot clerk shall put a checkmark beside it and again repeat the name. The ballot clerk shall state the address listed on the checklist for the voter, and ask if the address is correct; if the address on the checklist is not correct, the ballot clerk shall correct the address in red on the paper checklist and the supervisors of the checklist shall cause the centralized voter registration database to reflect the correction. If the voter indicates that his or her name has changed, the ballot clerk shall refer the voter to the supervisors of the checklist and await their decision whether to place the changed name on the checklist prior to permitting such voter to obtain a ballot. If the voter indicates, at a general election, that his or her party has changed, the ballot clerk shall refer the voter to the supervisors of the checklist and await their decision whether to change the person’s party affiliation on the checklist. The voter, if still qualified to vote in the town or ward and unless challenged as provided for in RSA 659:27-33, shall then be allowed to enter the space enclosed by the guardrail. After the voter enters the enclosed space, the ballot clerk shall give the voter one of each ballot to be voted on in that election which shall be folded as it was upon receipt from the secretary of state.
2 Challengers Appointed by Party Committee. Amend RSA 666:4 to read as follows:
666:4 Challengers Appointed by Party Committee. The state committee of a political party may appoint a person to act as challenger of voters at any polling place in the state at a state election. A city or town committee of such a party may appoint a person to act as such challenger at any polling place in such city or town at a town election, business meeting, or city election. A statement signed by the chairman of the committee appointing [him] the person shall be sufficient evidence of the authority of any such challenger. [He] The challenger may be reasonably compensated for his or her services by the political party whose committee appointed [him] the challenger. [He] The challenger shall be assigned by the moderator or other election officer presiding at the polling place to such position within the polling place as will enable him or her to see and hear each voter as he or she offers to vote. Nothing herein contained shall deprive any other person of the right to challenge a voter as provided by law. Where the physical layout of a polling place makes it impractical to position challengers or interested voters who are registered at that polling place where they can hear the announcement at the check-in table, the moderator shall arrange an alternative means for challengers or interested voters who are registered to vote at that polling place to be informed of the new voter’s name and domicile address and be afforded an opportunity to challenge the voter at the check-in table.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.