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New Hampshire’s state primary is a month away, and with hard fought primaries on both the Republican and Democratic sides – especially in the race for governor – the stakes are high.
But not everyone will be able to make it to their polls on Sept. 10, and those who can’t might consider voting with an absentee ballot.
The process can be initiated with a simple phone call to a voter’s town or city ward clerk – or a visit during open hours. And towns and cities should have absentee ballots ready by Monday, Aug 12, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Here’s a guide to how to vote absentee and what to expect.
How do I qualify for an absentee ballot in New Hampshire?
People who are interested in voting absentee must fill out an absentee ballot application form and send it to their town. On the form, they must check a box explaining why they are requesting the ballot.
There are a few qualifying reasons. A voter may vote absentee if they plan to be absent from their town or polling place on the day of their election. They may vote that way if they are unable to vote in person due to a disability. They may do so if they have an employment obligation that prevents them from getting to the polling place on time – or if they are taking care of children or “infirm adults” on a voluntary basis. People who are observing a religious commitment may also vote absentee, as may people who are in jail for a misdemeanor, or who are incarcerated while awaiting trial.
But the resident must meet one of those reasons. If a voter attempts to vote absentee but does not actually qualify, they can be charged with a misdemeanor.
New Hampshire election laws provide other, last-minute justifications. If the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, blizzard warning, or ice storm warning for their area the day before Election Day – a Monday – then voters may request an absentee ballot under two conditions: if they are elderly, infirm, or have a physical disability that would prevent them from making it to their polling place in the storm, or if their school, child care, or adult care is likely to be canceled and they are unable to leave the house.
In order to submit the application form, residents may hand-deliver, fax, or email it to their town clerk. Voters with disabilities may receive assistance in filling out the ballot request, but the person who assisted them must also sign the form.
Voters may find the form they need to submit on their town clerk’s website, or on the Secretary of State’s website at https://sos.nh.gov/elections/voters/absentee-ballots .
I’ve sent in my absentee ballot request form. What happens next?
The application will be received by the clerk’s office, reviewed, and given approval. At that point, the clerk may mail the absentee ballot to the voter. A voter may also request to pick up the absentee ballot in person.
If a voter wants to track the status of their absentee ballot, they may go to https://app.sos.nh.gov/ , where they will receive updates confirming that their ballot request was received; that the ballot was mailed; that the clerk received the completed ballot; and if the ballot was rejected or not counted on Election Day, and why.
What if I’m not registered to vote yet?
If a person is registered to vote, the absentee ballot request application is all they need to submit.
If a voter is not registered in their town or polling ward, they may do so remotely by filling out a separate form and sending in photocopies of documents to prove their identity and their domicile. If the address on a voter’s driver’s license is current, the license can satisfy both requirements. Otherwise, new registrants can produce a rental lease, tax bill, school attendance document, vehicle registration copy, utility bill, dog registration, USPS change of address receipt, or other document in order to prove they live in that polling area.
Those registering absentee must also fill in an affidavit; there is one form of affidavit for those who have a disability and another for those who are going to be temporarily absent from their town. Absentee voters may send in their voter registration forms at the same time as they send in their absentee ballots, or separately.
Registering to vote absentee has all the same eligibility requirements as requesting an absentee ballot, plus one more: People who are victims of domestic violence, have a domestic violence protective order, or are part of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s address confidentiality program may also register absentee.
By law, town and city supervisors of the checklist are required to meet between 6 and 13 days before Election Day – both for the Sept. 10 primary and the Nov. 5 general election day – in order to review new registrations. They must also review and approve any late-arriving absentee registrations on Election Day.
I received my absentee ballot. How do I vote?
The absentee ballot will come with two envelopes: a smaller one and a larger one.
First, a voter should mark the ballot as they would normally, by filling in the ovals of the candidates, making sure not to “overvote” by filling in more ovals than is correct.
Then, the voter should put the completed ballot into the smaller envelope, known as the “affidavit envelope.” On the outside of that envelope is an affidavit that states that the voter is attesting that they do qualify to vote absentee – under penalty of voting fraud. The voter must sign that on the outside of the envelope, and then put the smaller, affidavit envelope into the larger envelope.
At this point, if the voter is also attempting to simultaneously register to vote, they may put their registration form and the copies of their identifying documents in the larger envelope, next to the affidavit envelope.
If a person has a disability, they may be assisted by another in filling out the ballot and signing the affidavit, provided the assistant identifies themself and also signs the affidavit.
The larger envelope may be mailed to the clerk’s office or hand-delivered. They may be hand-delivered by a family member, nursing home or elder care facility administrator, or a person assisting a voter with a disability.
Those voters who hand-deliver their own ballots ahead of Election Day can take an extra step: voter verification. If the voter produces an identification card to their clerk when they drop off the ballot, the clerk can mark them down as “voter verified.” This step is not necessary, but the verification can be used as evidence should the voter’s ballot be challenged on Election Day.
What if I am overseas?
Overseas voters – both civilians living abroad and those who are in military service – must take a slightly different approach: the Federal Post Card Application.
Those voters must go to https://www.fvap.gov/new-hampshire and download and print an absentee ballot request form as early as possible. They must then fill out that form and mail it to their town. Uniformed service members may access a prepaid envelope to mail the documents at no cost; civilians must pay for the process themselves.
Once the town receives that request, the town or city ward will mail or email a ballot to the overseas voter, depending on what they requested. They must begin doing so at least 45 days before Election Day: July 27 for this year’s Sept. 10 primary, and Sept. 21 for the Nov. 5 general election. The voter must then complete the ballot and mail it back in time for the election day.
If the voter has not received the ballot from their town or city ward in time to mail it back successfully, they may print out a “backup ballot” from the same website and mail that to their polling place, as a placeholder.
This story was originally published by the New Hampshire Bulletin .
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: As the state primary approaches, a guide to absentee voting in New Hampshire
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