SB 216 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-1066
08/11
SENATE BILL 216
AN ACT relative to the authority of moderators on election day.
SPONSORS: Sen. McGough, Dist 11; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. Miles, Hills. 12
COMMITTEE: Election Law and Municipal Affairs
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
This bill defines the authority of moderators on election day over electioneering corridors and electioneering areas.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-1066
08/11
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to the authority of moderators on election day.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Electioneering at the Polling Place. Amend RSA 659:43, II through VI to read as follows:
II. The moderator shall establish one or more no-electioneering corridors, no less than 10 feet wide, that extend from all entrances of the polling place a reasonable distance along the sidewalks or to the parking lots that serve the polling place. The moderator shall establish the corridor in a manner that permits a voter arriving or leaving the polling place to enter or exit without interruption or interference from individuals outside the corridor, and that permits a voter to step to the edge of the corridor and speak with those electioneering if he or she chooses. The moderator shall not extend the no-electioneering corridor beyond the property at which the election is being conducted. The moderator shall only have control over the no-electioneering corridors during the hours that the polling place is ending.
III. The moderator shall designate a preferred area for electioneering, which to the extent practical shall be within sight and conversation-level sound of the primary entrance to the polling place and shall abide by any regulations or ordinances approved by the municipality's governing body pursuant to RSA 31:41-c or RSA 47:17, XIV-a. The moderator shall only have control over the electioneering area during the hours the polling place is open.
IV. Electioneering may occur outside the no-electioneering corridor and outside the designated preferred electioneering area.
V. Electioneering signs shall not be affixed to the polling place building or grounds.
VI. Electioneering signs shall not be left unattended while the polling place is open. Unattended signs may be placed in the electioneering area no more than 24 hours prior to the opening of the polling place. For purpose of this section, “attended” means a candidate or volunteer is within a reasonable proximity of the sign.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| March 4, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
Feb. 18, 2025: Hearing: 03/04/2025, Room 103, LOB, 09:45 am; SC 11
Jan. 23, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 3