This bill mandates that all cities, towns, and school districts utilizing an official ballot system must ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities during elections. Specifically, it requires each polling place to have at least one accessible voting system, with the local government responsible for the costs associated with programming these systems. Additionally, the bill outlines the responsibilities of city and town clerks, including entering agreements with the secretary of state for the use of state-provided accessible voting systems, maintaining these systems securely, and sharing them with school clerks for school elections. The secretary of state is also tasked with providing guidance and support for the implementation and maintenance of these systems.

The bill repeals and reenacts RSA 659:20-b, which details the new requirements for accessible voting systems. It also modifies the effective date of a previous repeal from June 30, 2025, to December 31, 2025, while establishing that Section 2 of the act will take effect on June 29, 2025, and the remainder of the act will be effective starting January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 659:20-b
As Amended by the House: 659:20-b