By KATHARINE WEBSTER, InDepthNH.org
New Hampshire has some of the strictest voting requirements in the country, ranking 48th among the 50 states in the upcoming 2026 Cost of Voting Index, according to Michael Pomante, a research fellow at Claremont Graduate University and a lecturer in political science at the University of Michigan who updates the index every two years.
Many state officials and politicians, especially Republicans who have passed recent laws requiring voters to show government-issued IDs at the polls and outlawing the use of student IDs for that purpose, say those restrictions make New Hampshire’s elections some of the most secure in the country while putting everyone on an equal footing.
But Pomante says that many other states make voting easier – without inviting fraud – by allowing people to register to vote at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when they apply for a state driver’s license, allowing early voting and mail-in ballots, permitting no-excuse absentee ballots, and allowing for voter registration drives, Pomante said.
Many measures that reduce barriers to voting also make it less expensive – and can even reduce opportunities for fraud, he said. For example, in states with “motor voter” registration, when someone moves to a different state and applies for a new driver’s license, they are purged from the first state’s system and voter rolls at the same time.
Research shows that “there is no relationship between how difficult it is to register and vote and instances of fraud. I know that’s the excuse used for this kind of legislation, but there’s no relationship,” Pomante said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Voting and registering should be easy because we are a democracy, and citizens need to be able to have their voices heard.”
New Hampshire’s restrictions make voting more difficult for some citizens than others, including: first-time voters; people who don’t drive; people who don’t have passports or birth certificates; people whose names have changed due to marriage or divorce; and low-income, disabled and elderly voters.
“It can be very costly to get those documents,” Pomante said. “If you’re a low-income individual, you probably move a lot, you might have lost your documentation; you might not have a driver’s license if you live in a city.”
“With naturalized citizens, there also tends to be a lag between the time they receive their citizenship and naturalization and when it actually shows up in government records,” he said.
Secretary of State David Scanlan said Thursday his office works hard to inform citizens about New Hampshire’s requirements as well as to train poll workers in the latest laws, best practices and technologies. (Voter guides are available for reprint on the secretary of state’s website.)
But if you are a first-time voter or have just moved to New Hampshire from another state, Scanlan strongly urges you to visit your city or town clerk’s office to register to vote well in advance – especially before the Nov. 3 midterm elections – and to make sure you have all the documents you need.
If you have previously voted in New Hampshire but haven’t done so in a while or have moved since you last voted, it’s also a good idea to log in to New Hampshire’s Voter Information Lookup system to check your details, including party registration, your address of record, and whether your status is “active” or not. It also lists your polling place and contact information for your town or city clerk.
If you are not listed as an active voter or if you have changed addresses since you last voted, you may have been purged from the checklist by your local clerk’s office, Scanlan said at a news conference Thursday.
In either case, you need to bring both an acceptable form of government photo ID and “proof of domicile” – your current residence – with you to your polling place. However, you will still be listed in the New Hampshire Statewide Voter Registration list, where election workers can look you up to confirm age and citizenship, he said.
Keeping New Hampshire’s registration and voting requirements in mind, here’s what you need to know before you go to your polling place on Tuesday to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primaries.
First-time Registration and Voting in New Hampshire
If you have never voted in New Hampshire before, you can register on election day at your polling place. You will need:
- Proof of U.S. citizenship. Acceptable documents include a birth certificate, a passport or passport card, military ID, and a naturalization certificate for people born abroad. If you do not have any of these documents, or cannot obtain them by election day, poll workers may check other databases, such as Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records, to try to confirm your citizenship. You can also sign an affidavit swearing that you are a U.S. citizen, under penalty of voter fraud. You may be investigated if you use an affidavit and even charged if you are not a qualified citizen. (This measure was in place in previous years, but outlawed in 2024. Several voting rights groups sued and won a federal court ruling in May reinstating the affidavits. The state has appealed, but for now the affidavits are legal.)
- Proof of identity. A federal or state photo ID, such as a passport, passport card, military ID, state driver’s license or state non-driver photo ID card – available for free at the Division of Motor Vehicles for voting purposes only – are all acceptable. The name on your ID must “substantially” match your name on the voter rolls. New this year: Student IDs are not an acceptable form of identification for registration or voting. (The Coalition for Open Democracy has sued over this law in federal court, but it is currently in effect.)
- Proof of age. Any of the previously mentioned documents can be used to prove age.
- Proof of domicile. In addition to the above documents, acceptable proofs that New Hampshire is your primary residence include a state resident motor vehicle registration or a government-issued check, benefit statement or tax document with your current address. If you do not have any of those documents, you can sign a form saying you are a state resident under penalty of voter fraud AND provide one of the following with your current address: a lease or rental agreement; a utility bill; a “confirmation of domicile” form signed by the landlord or owner of the place where you live; or a “homeless confirmation of domicile” form.
Repeat and Lapsed Voters
- All voters must show an acceptable form of government photo ID – see above – before being issued a ballot. Student photo IDs are no longer accepted, even if they are issued by a public high school, college or university.
- People who have voted previously in New Hampshire but who have moved must bring both ID and proof of domicile or residence at their new address.
- People who remain at the same address but have not voted in several years and may have been stricken from the checklist should bring both ID and proof of domicile or residence.
- People who have changed their names since they last voted may also need to provide proof of the legal name change, such as a marriage certificate or court document, and re-register to vote under their new name.
What to Know About the Primaries
- Primaries are candidate nomination contests for each qualified political party. In New Hampshire, if you are registered as a Republican, you will receive a primary ballot listing competing Republican candidates only. If you are registered as a Democrat, you will receive a Democratic primary ballot.
- If you are an “unaffiliated voter,” you may request either a Republican or Democratic primary ballot. Once you do that, your voter registration is automatically updated to show you as a member of that party. You can switch your party membership back to “unaffiliated” at your polling place immediately after you vote.
Your Voting Rights
- You have the right to vote if you meet the above requirements for registration and voting.
- If you are disabled, you have the right to vote in person – with or without assistance from an election official or person of your choice – using a handicapped-accessible voting booth or machine. You also have the right to apply for an absentee ballot either in person or by mail, and to return it by mail, if you provide copies of the necessary documents.
- You also have the right to apply for an absentee ballot if you certify that you will be absent from your town or city on the date of an election; if you serve in the U.S. military or live overseas; if you are jailed on a misdemeanor charge.
- If you are serving a prison sentence for a felony, you do not have the right to vote. But you do have the right to vote, including during pretrial detention, before you are convicted. You also have your voting rights restored after you are released, including when you are on probation or parole.
- If you are a newly naturalized citizen, you have the right to vote even if your name is not yet listed in a state or federal database. You must supply your naturalization certificate as proof of citizenship.
- You have the right to photograph your ballot and post the photo on social media. You also have the right to keep your vote secret.
- You have the right to refuse to answer questions from federal election monitors, people promoting issues and candidates outside the polling place, political party observers, observers from voting rights organizations, reporters, or anyone else, including law enforcement agents. You also have the right to ask them to identify themselves, although they are not obligated to answer. They are not allowed to misrepresent themselves or their roles or pressure you into talking.
- If you think your or someone else’s voting rights are being violated, for example by people approaching you and questioning your citizenship or criminal record, you have the right to speak to election officials and the moderator at your polling place, to contact the Secretary of State’s Office, or to call the state Attorney General’s Office’s voting rights hotline: 1-866-868-3703.
- You also have the right to contact voting rights organizations, such as the ACLU of New Hampshire, which maintains a voting rights hotline at 603-333-2201, and to speak with voting rights observers, law enforcement, or lawyers present at the polling place.
Voting Wrongs
- You do NOT have the right to harass or intimidate voters, observers or election officials, or to interfere with the election officials’ work.
- You do NOT have the right to wear or bring partisan clothing, buttons, hats, stickers, literature and other items inside the polling place. Election officials may turn you away or remove you. Alternatively, they may ask you to remove or cover up any partisan messages before entering.
- You do NOT have the right to spread false or misleading information about voting requirements and fraud, either verbally or by displaying information on a sign, T-shirt, or handouts.