Text to be removed highlighted in red.
1 New Section; Presidential Elections. Amend RSA 658 by inserting after section 11 the following new section:
658:11-a Additional Polling Places; Presidential Elections.
I. For general elections in which the office of president of the United States is decided, a town or city shall have a minimum of one polling place for every 15,000 registered voters appearing on the checklist as of January 1 of the year of the election, unless a plan to accommodate more than 15,000 registered voters with one location has been submitted to and jointly approved by the secretary of state and the attorney general. The plan shall specifically address the following issues that could potentially cause a delay to voters:
(a) Traffic flow to and from the polling place;
(b) The presence of police officers or third party contractors to assist with traffic flow;
(c) The number of parking spaces adjacent to the polling place available to voters;
(d) The number of poll books and staff members available to assist with checking in voters;
(e) The presence of electronic poll books;
(f) The number of ballot counting machines;
(g) The number of stations and staff members available for same-day registrants; and
(h) Any other criteria specified by the secretary of state and the attorney general.
II. The secretary of state and attorney general may request additional information when considering whether to approve a submitted plan, and such approval may be conditioned upon specific measures that must be met by the town or city on election day.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Text to be added highlighted in green.
1 New Section; Presidential Elections. Amend RSA 658 by inserting after section 11 the following new section:
658:11-a Additional Polling Places; Presidential Elections.
I. For general elections in which the office of president of the United States is decided, a town or city shall have a minimum of one polling place for every 15,000 registered voters appearing on the checklist as of January 1 of the year of the election, unless a plan to accommodate more than 15,000 registered voters with one location has been submitted to and jointly approved by the secretary of state and the attorney general. The plan shall specifically address the following issues that could potentially cause a delay to voters:
(a) Traffic flow to and from the polling place;
(b) The presence of police officers or third party contractors to assist with traffic flow;
(c) The number of parking spaces adjacent to the polling place available to voters;
(d) The number of poll books and staff members available to assist with checking in voters;
(e) The presence of electronic poll books;
(f) The number of ballot counting machines;
(g) The number of stations and staff members available for same-day registrants; and
(h) Any other criteria specified by the secretary of state and the attorney general.
II. The secretary of state and attorney general may request additional information when considering whether to approve a submitted plan, and such approval may be conditioned upon specific measures that must be met by the town or city on election day.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.