HB217 (2025) Compare Changes


Unchanged Version

Text to be removed highlighted in red.

1 Absentee Registration Affidavit. Amend RSA 654:17 to read as follows:

654:17 Absentee Registration Affidavit.

I. The absentee registration affidavit shall be prepared by the secretary of state and shall be in substantially the following form:

Affidavit (Absence from town)

I, ______ do hereby swear or affirm, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, the following:

1) That my legal domicile is in the town of __, New Hampshire, I will be of the age of 18 years or over on election day and am entitled to vote in the election to be held in said town on __, ___ (date), except for the fact that my name does not appear on the checklist to be used in said town at such election;

2) That I do not intend to be present within said town at such time prior to said election as shall enable me personally to appear before the supervisors of the checklist of said town in their regular sessions for the correction of the checklist for said election;

3) That I am temporarily residing in ____ (city and state or city, province, and country);

4) That I hereby enclose *one of the following as proof of identity and domicile:

(a) A copy of a current and valid New Hampshire driver's license or an armed services identification or other photo identification issued by the United States government that shows my name and address; or

(b) A copy of a current and valid photo identification and a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, other government document that shows my name and address, or a letter from the administrator of a nursing home or similar facility affirming that I am a resident of that facility that was provided to me at my request pursuant to the administrator's duty to provide such a letter upon my request; *

5) That I acknowledge that if I do not provide a copy of proof of identity and domicile as required by section 4) above, this application may not be approved; and

6) That I hereby make application for the addition of my name to the checklist of said town to be used at said election.

_

Signature of Applicant

Date

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.

Affidavit (Physical Disability)

I, ___ do hereby swear or affirm, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, the following:

1) That my legal domicile is in the town of __, New Hampshire, I will be of the age of 18 years or over on election day, and am entitled to vote in the election to be held in said town on __, ___ (date), except for the fact that my name does not appear on the checklist to be used in said town at such election;

2) That I am unable by reason of physical disability personally to appear before the supervisors of the checklist of said town in their regular sessions for the correction of the checklist for said election;

3) That I hereby enclose *one of the following as proof of identity and domicile:

(a) A copy of a current and valid New Hampshire driver's license or an armed services identification or other photo identification issued by the United States government that shows my name and address; or

(b) A copy of a current and valid photo identification and a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, other government document that shows my name and address, or a letter from the administrator of a nursing home or similar facility affirming that I am a resident of that facility that was provided to me at my request pursuant to the administrator's duty to provide such a letter upon my request;*

4) That I acknowledge that if I do not provide a copy of proof of identity and domicile as required by section 3) above, this application may not be approved; and

5) That I hereby make application for the addition of my name to the checklist of said town to be used at said election.

_

Signature of Applicant

_

Date

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.

II. There shall be printed below each of the foregoing affidavits the following affirmation:

Affirmation

I, _, the undersigned witness, do hereby swear or affirm, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, that on the _ day of _, ___ (date), the above named, _, having satisfied me as to his or her identity, signed the foregoing affidavit in my presence, and did before me swear to (or affirm) the truth of the statements therein contained .

_

Signature of Witness

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.

2 Submission; Effect. Amend RSA 654:19 to read as follows:

654:19 Submission; Effect. The applicant shall forward the absentee registration affidavit and the applicant's voter registration form to the clerk of the town or city named for submission to the supervisors of the checklist. If the supervisors find that the affidavit and the voter registration form are properly executed, they shall follow the procedure for applications made in person as provided in RSA 654:11, 654:13, and 654:15, except that in the case of an absentee voter they shall accept an absentee registration affidavit and a registration form.

3 Verification of In-Person Absentee Voter. Amend RSA 657:17-a to read as follows:

657:17-a Verification of In-Person Absentee Voter.

I. An absentee voter who returns his or her completed absentee ballot to the clerk's office in person shall be treated as a verified voter provided:

(a) The t voter voluntarily shows the clerk a photo identification that meets the requirements of RSA 659:13*; or

(b) The voter voluntarily completes a challenged voter affidavit in the same manner as is required for an election day voter who does not present a qualified voter identification*.

II. The clerk shall mark the absentee ballot affidavit enveloped "voter verified" and note on the clerk's list of absentee voters that the voter has been verified. The verified voter's signatures on the application for an absentee ballot shall not be compared to the voter's signature on the absentee ballot affidavit on election day.

III. A voter who does not present a qualified photo identification and who does not complete a challenged voter affidavit shall not be treated as a verified voter, and his or her signatures on the application for an absentee ballot shall be compared to his or her signature on the absentee ballot affidavit on election day in the same manner as other absentee voters.

4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Changed Version

Text to be added highlighted in green.

1 Absentee Registration Affidavit. Amend RSA 654:17 to read as follows:

654:17 Absentee Registration Affidavit.

I. The absentee registration affidavit shall be prepared by the secretary of state and shall be in substantially the following form:

Affidavit (Absence from town)

I, ______ do hereby swear or affirm, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, the following:

1) That I am a citizen of the United States, my legal domicile is in the town of __, New Hampshire, I will be of the age of 18 years or over on election day and am entitled to vote in the election to be held in said town on __, ___ (date), except for the fact that my name does not appear on the checklist to be used in said town at such election;

2) That I do not intend to be present within said town at such time prior to said election as shall enable me personally to appear before the supervisors of the checklist of said town in their regular sessions for the correction of the checklist for said election;

3) That I am temporarily residing in ____ (city and state or city, province, and country);

4) That I hereby enclose copies of the documentation required byRSA 654:12 to establish my citizenship, age, domicile, and identity as qualifications to vote;

5) That I acknowledge that if I do not provide a copy of the documentation as required by section 4) above, this application shall not be approved; and

6) That I hereby make application for the addition of my name to the checklist of said town to be used at said election.

_

Signature of Applicant

Date

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.

Affidavit (Physical Disability)

I, ___ do hereby swear or affirm, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, the following:

1) That I am a citizen of the United States, my legal domicile is in the town of __, New Hampshire, I will be of the age of 18 years or over on election day, and am entitled to vote in the election to be held in said town on __, ___ (date), except for the fact that my name does not appear on the checklist to be used in said town at such election;

2) That I am unable by reason of physical disability personally to appear before the supervisors of the checklist of said town in their regular sessions for the correction of the checklist for said election;

3) That I hereby enclose copies of the documentation required byRSA 654:12 to establish my citizenship, age, domicile, and identity as qualifications of vote.

4) That I acknowledge that if I do not provide a copy of the documentation as required by section 3) above, this application shall not be approved; and

5) That I hereby make application for the addition of my name to the checklist of said town to be used at said election.

_

Signature of Applicant

_

Date

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.

II. There shall be printed below each of the foregoing affidavits the following affirmation:

Affirmation

I, _, the undersigned witness, do hereby swear or affirm, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, that on the _ day of _, ___ (date), the above named, _, having satisfied me as to his or her identity, signed the foregoing affidavit in my presence, and did before me swear to (or affirm) the truth of the statements therein contained and the authenticity and accuracy of the documentation submitted therewith .

_

Signature of Witness

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.

2 Submission; Effect. Amend RSA 654:19 to read as follows:

654:19 Submission; Effect. The applicant shall forward the absentee registration affidavit with supporting documentation and the applicant's voter registration form to the clerk of the town or city named for submission to the supervisors of the checklist. If the supervisors find that the affidavit with supporting documentation and the voter registration form are properly executed, they shall follow the procedure for applications made in person as provided in RSA 654:11, 654:13, and 654:15, except that in the case of an absentee voter they shall accept an absentee registration affidavit with supporting documentation and a registration form.

3 Verification of In-Person Absentee Voter. Amend RSA 657:17-a to read as follows:

657:17-a Verification of In-Person Absentee Voter.

I. An absentee voter who returns his or her completed absentee ballot to the clerk's office in person shall be treated as a verified voter provided(a) The; or

(b) The voter voluntarily completes a challenged voter affidavit in the same manner as is required for an election day voter who does not present a qualified voter identificationand who does not complete a challenged voter affidavit* shall not be treated as a verified voter, and his or her signatures on the application for an absentee ballot shall be compared to his or her signature on the absentee ballot affidavit on election day in the same manner as other absentee voters.

4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.