Revision: Dec. 20, 2022, 11:40 a.m.
2023 SESSION
23-0562.0
08/05
HOUSE BILL [bill number]
AN ACT relative to ballot order in the general election.
SPONSORS: [sponsors]
COMMITTEE: [committee]
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ANALYSIS
This bill makes changes to the creation of the ballot order in 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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-0562.0
08/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to ballot order in the general election.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Ballot; Order of Names; General Election. RSA 656:5-a is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
656:5-a Order of Names.
I. With the exception of the office of state representative, whenever there are 2 or more candidates for nomination to the same office, the names of such candidates shall be alternated on the state general election ballots used so that each name shall appear thereon as nearly as may be an equal number of times at the top, at the bottom, and in each intermediate place, if any, of the list in which it belongs.
II. Immediately following the close of the period during which a person may accept the nomination of a party committee pursuant to RSA 655:32, the secretary of state or designee shall conduct a public random selection of a whole number from one to the total number of candidates for each possible list length where a group of candidates for the same office may appear in the same list in state or local elections during the next 2 years. For example, for a possible list of 3 candidates, the number one, 2, or 3 shall be randomly selected. The seed number for each possible list length shall remain in effect for the 2 years until the next random selection of seed numbers.
III. To determine the order of names on each ballot, the candidates for each office in the same list shall be temporarily listed alphabetically by surnames and the positions in such list shall be temporarily numbered in ascending order. The order of candidates after the candidate in the first position shall follow alphabetically by surname with "a" following "z." For races that do not have primaries, the order of names shall be decided by which candidate received the most signatures.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.