NEW HAMPSHIRE

Voter Registration Deadline: Voter registration closes after local election officials’ last checklist session 6-13 days before Election Day. Check with your local clerk for the exact date for your community.

Eligible voters can also register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time at their assigned voting location on Election Day. More information on same-day registration is available at: https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/register-vote/polls-election-day

2025 Election Information

There are no regular statewide elections in New Hampshire this year. However, many New Hampshire municipalities will hold primary, general, and/or special elections throughout the year. For information on important dates and deadlines, please visit https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections, https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/2024-2025-political-calendar, or contact your local town clerk, which can be found here: https://app.sos.nh.gov/viphome.

More election information at:

sos.nh.gov/elections

Students have a decision about where to register to vote. 

You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family’s home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes. 

You may only be registered and vote in one location. 

In New Hampshire, you must register to vote in person unless you meet the state’s requirements to register absentee. There is no universal mail registration. You may register by mail using the absentee process if you cannot apply in person because you are temporarily out of town or have a disability that prevents you from applying in person. Request an absentee ballot from your clerk (see below).

All registrants—whether registering before or on Election Day, by mail (if you are eligible to do so) or in person—must show proof of identity, domicile, age, and citizenship to register to vote in New Hampshire. Proof can be satisfied by the following documents:

• Identity: State driver’s license or state ID, student ID, passport, NH voter ID card, or other documentation that has your name and photo.

• Age: Any reasonable documentation indicating you will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the next election, such as a driver’s license or state ID, passport, birth certificate, or voter ID card.

• Domicile: If you have one of the following documents, you must provide it: an NH driver’s license or ID card; an NH vehicle registration; photo ID issued by the U.S. government that contains the address where you’re registering to vote; a government issued check, benefit statement, or tax documents. 
  • If you do not possess any of these documents, you may attest to that fact under penalty of perjury and use other reasonable documentation such as a document from the school the student attends showing they live in campus housing, including showing the election official a page from the institution’s official site showing the dorm assignment or off-campus residence address; a rental agreement, lease, or similar document that shows the voter’s name and the address of the domicile; a public utility bill showing the voter’s name and domicile address on it; any state or federal tax form, other government form, or government ID that shows your name and domicile address

• Citizenship: A birth certificate, U.S. Passport/card, naturalization document, or proof the applicant has previously voted or is currently registered to vote in a different town or ward in New Hampshire can prove citizenship. Please note that if your name has legally changed, you must present proof of your legal name change that shows both your prior name as it appears on your proof of citizenship document and your current legal name as it appears on the voter registration application.

More information on acceptable documents can be found at: https://www.sos.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt561/files/inline-documents/sonh/registering-to-vote-in-new-hampshire-february-2025_3.pdf

New Hampshire requires proof of identity to vote. Acceptable IDs are:

• Valid driver’s license or non-driver ID card issued by any state or the federal government
• Military ID
• U.S. Passport
• NH student ID card issued by a college, university, or career school approved or licensed to operate in NH, a public high school in NH, a non-public accredited high school in NH, Dartmouth College, or a college or university operated by the university system of NH or the community college system of NH. The card must contain either an expiration date or an issuance date.

Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at:

app.sos.nh.gov/viphome

By Mail: New Hampshire requires an excuse to vote by mail. You may cast a mail ballot for one of the following reasons: (1) You plan to be absent from your city or town of domicile on Election Day; (2) you cannot appear in public on Election Day due to observation of a religious commitment; (3) you are unable to vote in person due to a disability; (4) you cannot appear at any time during polling hours at your polling place due to an employment obligation, which includes the care of children and infirm adults, with or without compensation; (5) you are confined to a penal institution for a misdemeanor while awaiting trial.

A new law passed in 2025 now requires additional identity verification for mail ballot applications. Applicants must now provide either (1) a copy of a photo ID with their mail ballot application, (2) a notarized signature on their application form, or (3) a physical copy of their ID in person to county officials.

• Absentee Ballot Application Deadline: You may request an absentee ballot from your town clerkin person or by submitting an application by mail or fax. Voters with print disabilities may request that their absentee ballot be electronically delivered. Though the application deadline is 12:00pm on the day before Election Day for requests received by mail, email, for fax and 5:00pm on the day before Election Day for in-person requests, voters are encouraged to request their absentee ballots as early as possible to ensure you have enough time to complete and return your ballot by the return deadline.
• Completed Absentee Ballot Return Deadline: Completed absentee ballots must be received by your town clerk no later than 5 p.m. on Election Day. You may return a completed absentee ballot in-person at your municipal clerk’s office or polling place, or by mail.

You can track your absentee ballot here: https://app.sos.nh.gov/viphome

Election Day: Voting sites will be open at different times depending on the town, but all will close by 7 p.m. at the earliest on Election Day. Please contact your local election officials for more information. If you are in line by the closing time, then you have the right to vote.

Voters with disabilities may vote curbside. For more information, visit:  https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/learn-about-voting-disabilities

Does Registering to Vote Affect my Federal Financial Aid?

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

Does Registering to Vote Affect my Status as a Dependent on My Parents’ Taxes?

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Does Registering to Vote impact my Tuition Status?

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

Will registering to vote in New Hampshire affect my driver’s license or car registration?

If you register to vote in New Hampshire, you will be a considered a resident for motor vehicle purposes, which means you must obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license and update your car’s registration if you drive or maintain a vehicle in New Hampshire.