HB 115 - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
3Jan2024... 2270h
05/22/2024 1944s
2023 SESSION
23-0141
06/05
HOUSE BILL 115
AN ACT relative to changing the date of the state primary election.
SPONSORS: Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25; Rep. Berry, Hills. 39; Rep. Alexander Jr., Hills. 29; Rep. Mooney, Hills. 12; Rep. Doucette, Rock. 25
COMMITTEE: Election Law
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill changes the date of the state primary election to June.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
3Jan2024... 2270h
05/22/2024 1944s 23-0141
06/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to changing the date of the state primary election.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Election of Officers and Delegates; Election Dates; State Primary Election. Amend RSA 653:8 to read as follows:
653:8 State Primary Election. The state primary election shall be held on the [second] third Tuesday in [September] June of every even-numbered year.
2 Voters and Checklists; Hearings on Alterations to Party Registration. Amend RSA 654:32 to read as follows:
654:32 Hearings on Alterations to Party Registration. Before each state or presidential primary election, the supervisors of the checklist shall be in session before each primary for the change of registration of legal voters as provided in RSA 654:34 or 654:34-a or both. Before the presidential primary, the session shall be on the Friday preceding the first day of the filing period, between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and at the discretion of the supervisors for extended hours. Before the state primary election, the session shall be on Tuesday before the [first] second Wednesday in [June] March between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and at the discretion of the supervisors for extended hours.
3 Voters and Checklists; Change of Registration. Amend RSA 654:34, IV to read as follows:
IV. No person, who is already registered to vote, whether his or her party membership has been previously registered or not, shall affiliate with a party or disaffiliate from a party between the [first] second Wednesday in [June] March and the day before the state primary election.
4 Elections; Nominations by Primary; Filing: General Provisions. Amend RSA 655:14 to read as follows:
655:14 Filing; General Provisions. The name of any person shall not be printed upon the ballot of any party for a primary unless he or she is a registered member of that party, he or she shall have met the age and domicile qualifications for the office he or she seeks at the time of the general election, he or she meets all the other qualifications at the time of filing, and he or she shall file with the appropriate official between the [first] second Wednesday in [June] March and the Friday of the following week a declaration of candidacy as provided in RSA 655:17.
5 Elections; Nominations by Primary. Amend RSA 655:21 to read as follows:
655:21 Form. Primary petitions shall be made in the following form:
State of New Hampshire
County of ____________________ ss.
City (Town) of ____________________
I do hereby join in a petition for the printing on the primary ballot of the name of ____________________ whose domicile is in the city (town) of ______________ (ward, street, and number, if in a city), in the county of __________, for the office of ______________ to be voted for on Tuesday, the _____ day of [September] June, _____ (year), and certify that I am qualified to vote for a candidate for said office, that I am a registered member of the _____________ party, and am not at this time a signer of any other similar petition for any other candidate for the above office; that my domicile is in the city (town) of _____________ (ward, street, and number, if in a city), in the county of _____________. I certify that to my knowledge the above-named candidate is not a candidate for incompatible offices as defined in RSA 655:10, and that he or she is not a federal employee which makes him or her ineligible to file as a candidate for this office. I further certify that I believe the above-named person is especially qualified to fill said office.
I hereby swear, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, that the information above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
_________________________________
Print Voter's name
______________________________
Voter's 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.
6 Elections; Nomination by Primary; Examination and Rejection. Amend RSA 655:26 to read as follows:
655:26 Examination and Rejection. The officer with whom primary petitions are filed shall immediately upon receipt thereof examine the same and ascertain whether they conform to the law. If found not to conform thereto or to be conflicting as provided in RSA 655:23, [he] they shall then endorse thereon the reason why such petition cannot be accepted and shall, within 24 hours, return the same to the candidate in whose behalf it was filed. In such case, the candidate may file supplementary petitions with the official, but not later than the [third] fourth Wednesday in [June] March.
7 Ballot Law Commission; Hearing Date. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 665:5, I to read as follows:
I. If necessary, the ballot law commission shall meet on the [third] fourth Thursday of [September] June in each general election year and the third Friday following the presidential primary election in order to hear and decide:
8 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2025.
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Nov. 14, 2023 | 2023-2270h |
| May 14, 2024 | 2024-1944s |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 17, 2023 | House | Hearing |
| Jan. 24, 2023 | House | Exec Session |
| Oct. 31, 2023 | House | Exec Session |
| Oct. 31, 2023 | House | Floor Vote |
| March 5, 2024 | Senate | Hearing |
| May 23, 2024 | Senate | Floor Vote |
May 30, 2024: House Non-Concurs with Senate Amendment 2024-1944s (Rep. Weber): MA VV 05/30/2024 HJ 15 P. 14
May 30, 2024: House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2024-1944s (Rep. S. Smith): MF DV 159-202 05/30/2024 HJ 15 P. 14
May 22, 2024: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2024-1944s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/22/2024; SJ 14
May 22, 2024: Committee Amendment # 2024-1944s, AA, VV; 05/22/2024; SJ 14
May 14, 2024: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2024-1944s, 05/22/2024; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 20
Feb. 22, 2024: Hearing: 03/05/2024, Room 103, LOB, 09:30 am; SC 9
Feb. 16, 2024: Introduced 02/15/2024 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 5
Jan. 4, 2024: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2023-22780h: MA DV 281-82 01/03/2024 HJ 1 P. 117
Jan. 4, 2024: Amendment # 2023-2270h: AA VV 01/03/2024 HJ 1 P. 116
Nov. 14, 2023: Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
Nov. 14, 2023: Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2023-2270h 10/31/2023 (Vote 13-7; RC) HC 49 P. 32
Oct. 17, 2023: Executive Session: 10/31/2023 10:00 am LOB 306-308 HC 42
Jan. 26, 2023: Retained in Committee
Jan. 18, 2023: Executive Session: 01/24/2023 03:00 pm LOB 306-308
Jan. 11, 2023: Public Hearing: 01/17/2023 10:00 am LOB 306-308
Dec. 23, 2022: Introduced 01/04/2023 and referred to Election Law