HB 98 - AS INTRODUCED
2021 SESSION
21-0215
11/06
HOUSE BILL 98
AN ACT relative to the date of the state primary election.
SPONSORS: Rep. J. Sweeney, Rock. 8; Rep. Alexander Jr., Hills. 6; Rep. Kenney, Straf. 6
COMMITTEE: Election Law
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ANALYSIS
This bill changes the date of the state primary election to the first Tuesday in June.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
HB 98 - AS INTRODUCED
21-0215
11/06
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One
AN ACT relative to the date of the state primary election.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 1 Election of Officers and Delegates; Election Dates; State Primary Election. Amend RSA 653:8
2 to read as follows:
3 653:8 State Primary Election. The state primary election shall be held on the [second] first
4 Tuesday in [September] June of every even-numbered year.
5 2 Voters and Checklists; Hearings on Alterations to Party Registration. Amend RSA 654:32 to
6 read as follows:
7 654:32 Hearings on Alterations to Party Registration. Before each state or presidential primary
8 election, the supervisors of the checklist shall be in session before each primary for the change of
9 registration of legal voters as provided in RSA 654:34 or 654:34-a or both. Before the presidential
10 primary, the session shall be on the Friday preceding the first day of the filing period, between 7:00
11 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and at the discretion of the supervisors for extended hours. Before the state
12 primary election, the session shall be on Tuesday before the first Wednesday in [June] March
13 between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and at the discretion of the supervisors for extended hours.
14 3 Voters and Checklists; Change of Registration. Amend RSA 654:34, IV to read as follows:
15 IV. No person, who is already registered to vote, whether his or her party membership has
16 been previously registered or not, shall affiliate with a party or disaffiliate from a party between the
17 first Wednesday in [June] March and the day before the state primary election.
18 4 Voters and Checklists; Verification of Checklists. Amend RSA 654:38, III to read as follows:
19 III. Upon completion of verification of the checklist, but, in no event later than [September
20 1] May 25, the supervisors shall file with the secretary of state the following certificate: We, the
21 supervisors of the checklist of the town (or ward _____) of ___________, do hereby certify that we
22 have verified the checklist of registered voters in the town (or ward _____ of the city) of
23 _____________ as directed by the ballot law commission.
24 5 Voters and Checklists; Verification Every 10 Years. Amend RSA 654:39, V to read as follows:
25 V. Upon completion of verification of the checklist, but in no event later than [September 1]
26 May 25, the supervisors shall file with the secretary of state the following certificate: We, the
27 supervisors of the checklist (or registrars of voters) of the town (or ward ______) of _____________, do
28 hereby certify that we have verified the checklist of registered voters in the town (or ward _______ of
29 the city) of ______________, pursuant to the provisions of RSA 654:39.
30 6 Elections; Nominations by Primary; Filing: General Provisions. Amend RSA 655:14 to read as
31 follows:
HB 98 - AS INTRODUCED
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1 655:14 Filing; General Provisions. The name of any person shall not be printed upon the ballot
2 of any party for a primary unless he or she is a registered member of that party, he or she shall have
3 met the age and domicile qualifications for the office he or she seeks at the time of the general
4 election, he or she meets all the other qualifications at the time of filing, and he or she shall file with
5 the appropriate official between the first Wednesday in [June] March and the Friday of the
6 following week a declaration of candidacy as provided in RSA 655:17.
7 7 Elections; Nominations by Primary. Amend RSA 655:21 to read as follows:
8 655:21 Form. Primary petitions shall be made in the following form:
9 State of New Hampshire
10 County of ____________________ ss.
11 City (Town) of ____________________
12 I do hereby join in a petition for the printing on the primary ballot of the name of
13 ____________________ whose domicile is in the city (town) of ______________ (ward, street, and
14 number, if in a city), in the county of __________, for the office of ______________ to be voted for on
15 Tuesday, the _____ day of [September] June, _____ (year), and certify that I am qualified to vote for
16 a candidate for said office, that I am a registered member of the _____________ party, and am not at
17 this time a signer of any other similar petition for any other candidate for the above office; that my
18 domicile is in the city (town) of _____________ (ward, street, and number, if in a city), in the county of
19 _____________. I certify that to my knowledge the above-named candidate is not a candidate for
20 incompatible offices as defined in RSA 655:10, and that he or she is not a federal employee which
21 makes him or her ineligible to file as a candidate for this office. I further certify that I believe the
22 above-named person is especially qualified to fill said office.
23 I hereby swear, under the penalties for voting fraud set forth below, that the information above
24 is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
25 _________________________________
26 Print Voter's name
27 ________________________________
28 Voter's Signature
29 In accordance with RSA 659:34, the penalty for knowingly or purposefully providing false
30 information when registering to vote or voting is a class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence
31 of imprisonment not to exceed one year and a fine not to exceed $2,000. Fraudulently registering to
32 vote or voting is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.
33 8 Elections; Nomination by Primary; Examination and Rejection. Amend RSA 655:26 to read as
34 follows:
35 655:26 Examination and Rejection. The officer with whom primary petitions are filed shall
36 immediately upon receipt thereof examine the same and ascertain whether they conform to the law.
37 If found not to conform thereto or to be conflicting as provided in RSA 655:23, he or she shall then
HB 98 - AS INTRODUCED
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1 endorse thereon the reason why such petition cannot be accepted and shall, within 24 hours, return
2 the same to the candidate in whose behalf it was filed. In such case, the candidate may file
3 supplementary petitions with the official, but not later than the third Wednesday in [June] March.
4 9 Ballot Law Commission; Hearing Date. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 665:5, I to
5 read as follows:
6 I. If necessary, the ballot law commission shall meet on the third Thursday of [September]
7 June in each general election year and the third Friday following the presidential primary election
8 in order to hear and decide:
9 10 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Statutes affected: Introduced: 653:8, 654:32, 654:34, 654:38, 654:39, 655:14, 655:21, 655:26
latest version: 653:8, 654:32, 654:34, 654:38, 654:39, 655:14, 655:21, 655:26