General Election absentee ballots returned by mail must be received by the voter’s local clerk by 5 p.m. on election day.

CONCORD, NH (October 21, 2024): With just over two weeks to go before the Nov. 5 General Election, Secretary of State David Scanlan is urging absentee voters who plan to return their ballots by mail to send them to their local clerks by Monday, Oct. 28.

Mailed-in absentee ballots must be received by local clerks by 5 p.m. on election day. Voters returning their ballots to their local clerks in person must do so by 5 p.m. the day before the election. Absentee ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

Management decisions at the U.S. Postal Service have led to postal delays. To account for these delays and give the dedicated, hard-working postal employees enough time to deliver voters’ absentee ballots on time, absentee voters returning their ballots by mail should send them as soon as possible. Absentee voters who can return their ballots in person by the deadline prescribed above rather than by mail are encouraged to do so. 

New Hampshire voters can cast absentee ballots due to temporary absence or disability. A full list of reasons, along with instructions on requesting a ballot in person or by mail, can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at: www.sos.nh.gov/elections/absentee-ballots