2023 New Hampshire Revised Statutes › Title LXIII - Elections › Chapter 659 - Election Procedure › Section 659:23-a - Affidavit Ballots.

659:23-a Affidavit Ballots. –
I. For all elections, if a voter on election day is registering to vote for the first time in New Hampshire and does not have a valid photo identification establishing such voter's identification, or does not meet the identity requirements of RSA 659:13, then such voter shall vote by affidavit ballot pursuant to this section.
II. The authorized election official shall hand the affidavit ballot voter an affidavit voter package and explain its use. The affidavit voter package shall be designed, produced, and distributed by the secretary of state, and shall contain the following:
(a) A prepaid U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail Express (overnight delivery) envelope addressed to the secretary of state for the affidavit voter to return the affidavit verification letter described in subparagraph (b) and any required missing documentation that necessitated voting by affidavit ballot. The return address on this envelope shall be for the office of the secretary of state.
(b) An affidavit voter verification letter, in duplicate form, which lists all the documents required to qualify to vote in the state of New Hampshire. The authorized election official shall mark on both copies of the verification letter which qualifying documents were not provided, thereby necessitating voting by affidavit ballot. One copy of the affidavit verification letter shall be given to the voter; the other copy shall be retained by the authorized election official. The voter shall be required to return their copy of the affidavit verification letter and a copy of any required documentation to the secretary of state in the provided prepaid U.S. Postal Service envelope within 7 days of the date of the election in order for the ballot to be certified.
III. The moderator shall mark each affidavit ballot "Affidavit Ballot # __________ " sequentially, starting with the number "1".
IV. All affidavit ballots shall be cast in person at the polling place, placed in a container designated "Affidavit Ballots," and hand counted after polls have closed using a method prescribed by the secretary of state for hand counting and confirmation of candidate vote totals. After completion of counting, the moderator shall note and announce the total number of votes cast for each candidate, and the total number of affidavit ballots cast in the election. No later than one day after the election, the moderator shall forward all affidavit ballot verification letters to the secretary of state using a secure means of transmission or delivery.
V. On the seventh day after the election, if an affidavit ballot voter has failed to return the verification letter with the missing voter qualifying documentation to the secretary of state, either in person or using the prepaid U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail Express Envelope, the secretary of state shall instruct the moderator of the town, city, ward, or district in which the affidavit ballot was cast to retrieve the associated numbered affidavit ballot and list on a tally sheet, by candidate or issue, the votes cast on that ballot. The counting of votes on affidavit ballots identified by the secretary of state as unqualified shall be conducted by the town, city, ward, or district using the same methods of counting and observation utilized on the day of the election for hand counted ballots. The votes cast on such unqualified affidavit ballots shall be deducted from the vote total for each affected candidate or each affected issue.
VI. No later than 14 days after the election, any town, city, ward, or district in which any affidavit ballots were cast, and not subsequently verified, shall provide to the secretary of state a summary report, by race or ballot issue, of the total votes cast by the unqualified voters. The total vote minus the unqualified affidavit ballot vote for each race or issue shall be the final vote to be certified by the appropriate certifying authority.
VII. The names of affidavit voters whose verification letters are either not returned to the secretary of state or which do not provide the required voter qualifying information shall be referred by the secretary of state to the New Hampshire attorney general's office for investigation in accordance with RSA 7:6-c.
VIII. Any written, electronic, or other information related to an affidavit voter who provides the required information verifying their right to vote shall not be subject to disclosure under RSA 91-A or any other law.
IX. All written documentation relating to affidavit ballots shall be delivered to the secretary of state by local election officials in sealed packages using a secure means of transportation and stored pursuant to RSA 659:95 through 659:103.
Source.
2022, 239:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2023.