gencourt

SB 103-FN-LOCAL - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

03/13/2025 0741s

2025 SESSION

25-0557

08/09

SENATE BILL 103-FN-LOCAL

AN ACT relative to the number of polling stations that are available for certain towns.

SPONSORS: Sen. Murphy, Dist 16; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Gray, Dist 6; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44; Rep. Pauer, Hills. 36

COMMITTEE: Election Law and Municipal Affairs

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill:

I. Requires towns and cities to have at least one polling place per every 15,000 registered voters unless the town or city has received approval from the secretary of state and attorney general for fewer locations.

II. Allows the secretary of state and attorney general to create conditions for towns and cities to follow if they seek to utilize one polling place for more than 15,000 voters.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03/13/2025 0741s 25-0557

08/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five

AN ACT relative to the number of polling stations that are available for certain towns.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

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;

(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.

LBA

25-0557

5/12/25

SB 103-FN-LOCAL- FISCAL NOTE

AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2025-0741s)

AN ACT relative to the number of polling stations that are available for certain towns.

FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding nor does it authorize new positions.


Estimated State Impact
	FY 2025	FY 2026	FY 2027	FY 2028
Revenue	$0	$0	$0	$0
Revenue Fund(s)	None
Expenditures*	$0	$0	$0	Indeterminable
Funding Source(s)	General Fund
Appropriations*	$0	$0	$0	$0
Funding Source(s)	None
Expenditure = Cost of bill Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill

Estimated Political Subdivision Impact
	FY 2025	FY 2026	FY 2027	FY 2028
County Revenue	$0	$0	$0	$0
County Expenditures	$0	$0	$0	$0
Local Revenue	$0	$0	$0	$0
Local Expenditures	$0	$0	$0	Indeterminable Increase more than $10,000 to $100,000 less

METHODOLOGY:

This bill requires towns and cities to have at least one polling place per every 15,000 registered voters unless the town or city has received approval from the Secretary of State for fewer locations.

The New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) states that any municipality unable to obtain approval from the Secretary of State for fewer polling locations may experience an increase in local expenditures anticipated to range from more than $10,000 to less than $100,000, depending on the costs associated with setting up and staffing additional locations.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) states that the fiscal impact of the bill is indeterminable because it depends on how many municipalities will have more than 15,000 registered voters for the 2028 general election in which the office of president of the United States is decided would request approval to accommodate said voters at a single polling site. Review of the requests would be done by the Election Law Unit in the DOJ which has limited resources, however the unit is likely to be able to manage additional duties. If all affected municipalities were to request approval the unit would likely need two additional employees at an estimated total cost of $223,000 beginning in FY 2028.

The Department of State indicates this bill will have no impact on the Secretary of State.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of State, Department of Justice, and New Hampshire Municipal Association