Everything – well, many things – you need to know about voting Tuesday

By DAVID BROOKS

Monitor columnist

Published: 11-03-2024 1:37 PM

As you prepare to vote Tuesday, here is some advice:

I forgot where and when to vote.

Polling places and times in the Greater Concord area are in the Monitor and on the Monitor website. For everybody else, there’s an online form from the Secretary of State’s office. Type in your address and it will tell you what you need to know. https://app.sos.nh.gov/voterinformation. You can also call your town or city clerk’s office but do it today as they may be closed on Election Day.

You can also check the sample ballot so you won’t be taken by surprise in the voting booth at https://app.sos.nh.gov/pollingplacesampleballot

I forgot to register to vote. Can I do it on voting day?

Yes. You have to be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen. There’s no minimum amount of time you must have lived in the town or voting ward.

A driver’s license can prove your age and that you live in the town or ward but it does not prove you are a U.S. citizen. That proof requires your birth certificate, passport or naturalization documentation.

If you lack enough proof you can vote with an “affidavit ballot” and it will be counted if you send in the proper material within seven days. That option will not be available in future elections; the legislature and Gov. Sununu have removed it.

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I hate walking past all those campaign signs when I vote. Are they legal?

Yes, as long as they stay in the “electioneering” area designated by the moderator of that polling place. This area must be outside the voting area but “to the extent practical shall be within sight and conversation-level sound of the primary entrance to the polling place,” according to state law.

Limits can be placed on campaigning in the parking lot if the moderator has safety concerns.

What about campaigning inside the polling place?

No campaign materials are allowed inside, which also means you can’t wear clothes with campaign slogans that are “intended to influence the action of any voter.” Aside from obvious problems like a shirt saying “Vote for Jones,” the prohibition includes “An uncommon logo associated with a candidate” and that means no MAGA hats, according to Secretary of State Dave Scanlan.

Voters have the option of removing or covering the clothing item.

Note that the limitation only covers “campaign materials involving candidates, issues, or parties that appear on the ballot for that election,” so you can wear an Obama t-shirt or a George Bush hat if you like.

What do I do if I see something wrong, such as a person in line to vote who doesn’t live in town? And what do I do if somebody says that I’m voting illegally?

Anybody can challenge any voter in the polling place. Take the matter up with the local election official, usually the moderator, who will make a ruling.

If worst comes to worst you can contact the Attorney General’s office’s hotline at 1-866-868-3703 or  electionlaw@doj.nh.gov, or the Secretary of State’s office at 603-271-3242 or elections@sos.nh.gov. But start with the local election officials in the polling place.

I have a busy day. How long will voting take?

Hard to say but don’t expect it to be super-speedy. Scanlan expects a record turnout with a lot of people registering at the polls, partly because of the post-2020-Census purge of voter rolls.