35:1 Nominations; Nominations by Primary; Assent to Candidacy. Amend RSA 655:25 to read as follows:

655:25 Assent to Candidacy. No primary petitions as provided in RSA 655:21 shall be accepted by the official with whom they are to be filed unless there is attached thereto an assent to candidacy in the following form subscribed to by the person who seeks to have his name printed upon the primary ballot:

State of New Hampshire

I, ____, of __ in the county of _ do hereby assent to the printing of my name on the primary ballot as requested in the attached petition. I further declare that I am a registered member of the _ party.

(Signed) ________

State of New Hampshire

County of _______

The above-named, ____, personally known to me , appeared and made oath that the above declaration by him subscribed is true.

Before me,

Justice of the Peace or Notary Public

35:2 Pre-Election Procedure; Election Day Morning Procedures; Delivery of Ballots to Additional Polling Place. Amend RSA 658:33 to read as follows:

658:33 Delivery of Ballots to Additional Polling Place. Before the polls are opened at the central polling place on the day of an election, the town clerk shall seal up the 2 duplicate copies of the checklist for each additional polling place lodged with the clerk by the supervisors with a number of blank ballots equal to the number of voters on such checklist and 50 additional ballots. If the moderator has authorized the counting of votes and thereby authorized the processing of absentee ballots at the additional polling place, the absentee ballots of those persons qualified to vote in that additional polling place shall be sealed up along with a list of those persons qualified to vote at that additional polling place to whom absentee ballots have been sent pursuant to RSA 657:15. This package shall be prepared and sealed in the presence of the moderator and selectmen and shall be delivered immediately to the assistant moderator of the additional polling place by 2 election officers designated by the moderator.

35:3 Election Procedure; Voting Procedure; Who Can Vote. Amend RSA 659:12 to read as follows:

659:12 Who Can Vote.

All persons whose names are entered upon the corrected checklist brought by the town or ward clerk to the polling place shall be entitled to vote.

No person whose name is not upon the checklist shall be allowed to vote, unless, in the opinion of the supervisors of the checklist, it clearly appears that the name of a qualified voter has been omitted from the checklist by clerical error or mistake or that the person is a serviceman on leave who is qualified to vote and who by reason of such service was not in the town or city of his or her legal domicile at the time of the last session of the supervisors of the checklist.

35:4 Election Procedure; Voting Procedure; Unofficial Ballots. Amend RSA 659:24 to read as follows:

659:24 Unofficial Ballots.

If the supply of ballots shall become exhausted before the closing of the polls, it shall be the duty of the town or city clerk to cause unofficial ballots to be prepared as provided in RSA 658:35.

Except as provided in this section and in RSA 658:35, no ballot without the official endorsement shall be allowed to be deposited in the ballot box.

35:5 Election Procedure; Prohibited Acts; Marking Ballot by Election Officers. Amend RSA 659:36 to read as follows:

659:36 Marking Ballot by Election Officers. No mark of any nature shall be placed on any ballot by an election officer except as provided in RSA 659:20, 659:22, 659:26-a, and 659:51. Whoever knowingly violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

35:6 Election Procedure; Completing the Count and Announcing the Results; Final Counting; Results. Amend RSA 659:70 to read as follows:

659:70 Final Counting; Result. The final count of all votes on all ballots cast at the central and additional polling places, if any, shall be combined and the moderator shall announce the final count for each office and question.

35:7 Canvass and Declaration: State Primary Election; Write-In Votes and Nomination. Amend RSA 659:88, I(a) to read as follows:

(a) A person whose name was not printed on the official state primary election ballot of a political party shall not be entitled to the nomination of that party for any office unless the person received at least 35 write-in votes or write-in votes equaling 10 percent or more of the total votes cast for that party on the state primary election ballot, whichever is smaller.

35:8 Canvass and Declaration; State Primary Election; Write-In Votes and Nomination. Amend RSA 659:88, II to read as follows:

II. If a person is disqualified from a nomination in accordance with the provisions of paragraph I, then the nomination shall be awarded to the qualified person who received the highest number of votes, provided that person received at least 35 votes or votes equaling 10 percent or more of the total votes cast for that party on the state primary election ballot, whichever is smaller.

35:9 Canvass and Declaration; State Primary Election; Candidate of One Party. Amend RSA 659:91-a, II to read as follows:

II. Notwithstanding the provisions of RSA 655:37, if any candidate is disqualified from accepting the nomination of another party by means of write-in votes because the candidate is disqualified under the provisions of paragraph I, then the nomination shall be given to the candidate who received the highest number of write-in votes and who was not disqualified under the provisions of paragraph I, so long as he or she receives 10 35 write-in votes, or write-in votes equaling 10 percent or more of the total votes cast for that party on the state primary election ballot, whichever is the smaller.

35:10 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: July 28, 2020

Effective Date: September 26, 2020

35:1 Nominations; Nominations by Primary; Assent to Candidacy. Amend RSA 655:25 to read as follows:

655:25 Assent to Candidacy. No primary petitions as provided in RSA 655:21 shall be accepted by the official with whom they are to be filed unless there is attached thereto an assent to candidacy in the following form subscribed to by the person who seeks to have his name printed upon the primary ballot:

State of New Hampshire

I, ____, of __ in the county of _ do hereby assent to the printing of my name on the primary ballot as requested in the attached petition. I further declare that I am a registered member of the _ party.

(Signed) ________

State of New Hampshire

County of _______

The above-named, ____, personally known to me (or who has proven his or her identity to me) , appeared and made oath that the above declaration by him subscribed is true.

Before me,

Justice of the Peace , Notary Public , Town/City Clerk, or Deputy Clerk

35:2 Pre-Election Procedure; Election Day Morning Procedures; Delivery of Ballots to Additional Polling Place. Amend RSA 658:33 to read as follows:

658:33 Delivery of Ballots to Additional Polling Place. Before the polls are opened at the central polling place on the day of an election, the town clerk shall seal up the 2 duplicate copies of the checklist for each additional polling place lodged with the clerk by the supervisors with equal to the number of voters on such checklist and 50 additional ballotsthat the person is a serviceman on leave who is qualified to vote and who by reason of such service was not in the town or city of his or her legal domicile at the time of the last session of the supervisors of the checklistcause unofficial ballots to be prepared as provided in RSA 658:35.10* 35 write-in votes, or write-in votes equaling 10 percent or more of the total votes cast for that party on the state primary election ballot, whichever is the smaller.

35:10 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: July 28, 2020

Effective Date: September 26, 2020