CHAPTER 137
HB 285 - FINAL VERSION
05/13/2021 1286s
05/20/2021 1526s
2021 SESSION
21-0529
11/08
HOUSE BILL 285
AN ACT relative to verification of voter checklists.
SPONSORS: Rep. Layon, Rock. 6; Rep. Prudhomme-O'Brien, Rock. 6; Rep. Thomas, Rock. 5; Rep. Love, Rock. 6; Rep. Potucek, Rock. 6; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19
COMMITTEE: Election Law
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ANALYSIS
This bill modifies the procedures for ongoing verification of the information contained in voter checklists.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
05/13/2021 1286s
05/20/2021 1526s 21-0529
11/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One
AN ACT relative to verification of voter checklists.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
137:1 Vital Records Administration; Secretary of State; Duties. Amend RSA 5-C:4, IV to read as follows:
IV. The secretary of state shall compare information contained on each death record received by the division of vital records with information contained in the statewide centralized voter registration database and submit to the state registrar a list of every city or town that has a registered voter matching the decedent's information. Where there is not a full match of name, date of birth, and residence, the secretary of state shall provide information of partial matches for further review and confirmation by the town or city pursuant to paragraph V.
137:2 Division of Motor Vehicles; Change of Address; Notification. Amend RSA 261:55, I to read as follows:
I. Whenever any person after making application for or obtaining the registration of a vehicle shall move from the address or change the postal address named in the application or shown on a registration certificate or certificate of title, such person shall within 30 days thereafter notify the division in writing of his or her old and new address. The division shall then inform both the supervisor of the checklist in the town or city in which the new address is located and the supervisor of the checklist in the town or city in which the previous address was located of the change to facilitate periodic maintenance and verification of checklists pursuant to RSA 654:36-b.
137:3 Periodic Maintenance and Verification of Checklists; Reports of Death. Amend RSA 654:37 to read as follows:
654:37 Reports of Death. Whenever there is filed in the office of the clerk an official notice of the death of any person or persons of the age of 18 years or over or the clerk receives notice of a death record of such person or persons under RSA 5-C:4, V with a full match, the town or city clerk shall notify the supervisors of the checklist of said deaths by submitting a notice of same to the supervisors at their next regular meeting. For reports under RSA 5-C:4, V with a possible match, the city or town clerk shall look for an official notice of death and if available shall proceed as described in this section. If there is no official verification, the city or town clerk shall follow the procedures in RSA 654:37-a. Upon receipt of such notice, the supervisors shall examine the checklist; and, if the name of said deceased person appears thereon, it shall be removed. The notice shall be retained in accordance with RSA 33-A:3-a. Any supervisor who shall neglect or refuse to erase the name of such deceased voter from the checklist after receiving such notice from the town or city clerk shall be guilty of a violation.
137:4 Centralized Voter Registration Database; Address Maintenance. Amend RSA 654:45, I to read as follows:
I.(a) The secretary of state is authorized to plan, develop, equip, establish, site, and maintain a statewide centralized voter registration database and communications system, hereinafter referred to as the voter database, connecting users throughout the state. The voter database shall include the current information on the voter registration forms, the accepted absentee ballot applications, the voter checklists, and voter actions as recorded on the marked checklist maintained by each city, ward, and town in the state. The database shall maintain addresses in accordance with United States Postal Service standardized addresses as described in the current USPS Publication 28.
(b) The secretary of state shall provide for a verification process that voters sharing a place and date of birth, along with a substantially similar name to include nicknames or likely maiden/married name changes, are unique voters. Should any voter appear to be a duplicate, that information shall be forwarded to the supervisors of the checklist of the cities or towns involved for review and confirmation. The supervisor of the checklist shall notify the secretary of state of the result of such review, and should the records show that a single individual may have voted more than once in any election such information shall be forwarded to the attorney general for further investigation or prosecution.
137:5 New Subparagraph; Centralized Voter Registration Database; Address Verification. Amend RSA 654:45, IV by inserting after subparagraph (c) the following new subparagraph:
(d) Beginning July 1, 2022, the secretary of state shall, no less than annually, cause voter records to be checked with the United States Postal Service for changes of address. All records identified as moving shall be provided to the city or town supervisors of the checklist for verification pursuant to RSA 654:39, III.
137:6 New Paragraph; Inventory of Property Transfers. Amend RSA 74:18 by inserting after paragraph V the following new paragraph:
VI. Municipalities receiving inventories pursuant to this section shall forward the buyer's and seller's names and post transaction addresses to the supervisor of the checklist in such municipalities to facilitate periodic maintenance of the voter checklist.
137:7 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Approved: July 23, 2021
Effective Date: September 21, 2021
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 12, 2021 | House | Hearing |
| March 8, 2021 | House | Exec Session |
| March 10, 2021 | House | Exec Session |
| House | Floor Vote | |
| April 19, 2021 | Senate | Hearing |
| May 13, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| May 20, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| May 13, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| May 20, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| Feb. 12, 2021 | House | Hearing |
| March 10, 2021 | House | Exec Session |
| April 19, 2021 | Senate | Hearing |
| May 13, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| May 13, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| May 20, 2021 | Senate | Floor Vote |
July 23, 2021: Signed by the Governor on 07/23/2021; Chapter 0137; Effective 09/21/2021
July 26, 2021: Signed by Governor Sununu 07/23/2021; Chapter 137; Eff: 09/21/2021
July 23, 2021: Signed by Governor Sununu 07/23/2021; Chapter 137; Eff: 09/21/2021
June 24, 2021: Enrolled (in recess of) 06/24/2021
July 12, 2021: Enrolled (in recess of) 06/24/2021
June 24, 2021: Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/24/2021); SJ 20
July 12, 2021: Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/24/2021); SJ 20
June 10, 2021: House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2021-1286s and 2021-1526s (Rep. B. Griffin): MA VV 06/10/2021 HJ 10 P. 9
June 10, 2021: House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2021-1286s and 2021-1526s (Rep. B. Griffin): MA VV 06/10/2021 HJ 10 P. 9
May 20, 2021: Ought to Pass with Amendments 2021-1286s and 2021-1526s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/20/2021; SJ 16
May 20, 2021: Ought to Pass with Amendments 2021-1286s and 2021-1526s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/20/2021; SJ 16
May 20, 2021: Sen. Gray Floor Amendment # 2021-1526s, AA, VV; 05/20/2021; SJ 16
May 20, 2021: Sen. Gray Floor Amendment # 2021-1526s, AA, VV; 05/20/2021; SJ 16
May 13, 2021: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2021-1286s, 05/20/2021; SC 24
May 20, 2021: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2021-1286s, 05/20/2021; SC 24
May 13, 2021: Special Order to Next Session, Without Objection, MA; 05/13/2021; SJ 15
: Special Order to Next Session 05/20/2021, Without Objection, MA SJ 15
May 13, 2021: Special Order to Next Session, Without Objection, MA; 05/13/2021; SJ 15
May 13, 2021: Committee Amendment # 2021-1286s, RC 14Y-10N, AA; 05/13/2021; SJ 15
May 13, 2021: Committee Amendment # 2021-1286s, RC 14Y-10N, AA; 05/13/2021; SJ 15
May 13, 2021: Sen. Soucy Moved to Remove HB 285 from the Consent Calendar; 05/13/2021; SJ 15
May 13, 2021: Sen. Soucy Moved to Remove HB 285 from the Consent Calendar; 05/13/2021; SJ 15
May 6, 2021: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2021-1286s, 05/13/2021; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 23
May 13, 2021: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2021-1286s, 05/13/2021; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 23
April 14, 2021: Remote Hearing: 04/19/2021, 09:10 am; Links to join the hearing can be found in the Senate Calendar; SC 20
April 19, 2021: Remote Hearing: 04/19/2021, 09:10 am; Links to join the hearing can be found in the Senate Calendar; SC 20
April 8, 2021: Introduced 04/08/2021 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 12
April 13, 2021: Introduced 04/08/2021 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 12
: Ought to Pass MA RC 199-172
April 8, 2021: Ought to Pass: MA RC 199-172 04/08/2021 HJ 6 P. 56
April 8, 2021: Ought to Pass: MA RC 199-172 04/08/2021 HJ 6 P. 56
March 29, 2021: Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
: Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
March 29, 2021: Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass (Vote 11-9; RC) HC 18 P. 42
: Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass (Vote 11-9; RC) HC 18 P. 42
March 3, 2021: ==CONTINUED== Executive Session: 03/10/2021 10:20 am Members of the public may attend using the following link: To join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/95087806399 (if necessary)
March 10, 2021: ==CONTINUED== Executive Session: 03/10/2021 10:20 am Members of the public may attend using the following link: To join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/95087806399 (if necessary)
March 8, 2021: Executive Session: 03/08/2021 12:00 pm Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/91394352757
Feb. 3, 2021: Public Hearing: 02/12/2021 10:30 am Members of the public may attend using the following link: To join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/95709405955 / Executive session on pending legislation may be held throughout the day (time permitting) from the time the committee is initially convened.
Feb. 12, 2021: Public Hearing: 02/12/2021 10:30 am Members of the public may attend using the following link: To join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/95709405955 / Executive session on pending legislation may be held throughout the day (time permitting) from the time the committee is initially convened.
Jan. 9, 2021: Introduced (in recess of) 01/06/2021 and referred to Election Law HJ 2 P. 42
Jan. 6, 2021: Introduced (in recess of) 01/06/2021 and referred to Election Law HJ 2 P. 42