Election Day is TODAY!
A record 32 million are projected to be eligible to vote (13.3% of all eligible voters) the largest, nonwhite racial or ethnic electorate in the 2020 elections. Hispanics, Latinos make up 2.2 percent of the electorate in New Hampshire, and more than half of those people are eligible to vote.
As of Tuesday, there have been 249,658 absentee ballot requests, and 235,834 of them have been returned.
New Hampshire has now more than tripled the previous general election absentee record of 75,305 in the 2016 election. More than 90,000 absentee ballots were cast in the Sept. 8 primary this year.
Here’s what you need to know in order to perform your civic duty…
The polls close at 8PM.
Every community has at least one open polling place on Election Day, and the state is providing lots of protective equipment, hand sanitizer and other supplies to try to make the in-person voting process as safe as possible.
You don’t know where to cast your vote? Finding a polling place is as easy as a click: https://app.sos.nh.gov/Public/PartyInfo.aspx
New Hampshire allows Election Day registration for those who are not registered. You can register to vote in-person at the polls. The state has more information on all the ways to register here.
If you’re mailing your absentee ballot, it needs to arrive to your local clerk by 5 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted. This is different from some other states, which allow ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by the day of the election.
If you’re delivering your own absentee ballot to your local clerk in-person, you should aim to drop it off by 5 p.m. on Election Day. You can also have someone else drop off your absentee ballot for you, in certain circumstances.
Some voters can drop off absentee ballots at a dropbox or election office or vote in-person on Election Day.
Dropboxes “must be staffed by a properly trained election official,” according to the state. That means you can’t drop off your ballot outside of normal business hours like you might drop off a municipal bill. Contact your local clerk directly to check on their hours and availability.
The Attorney General’s Office has launched a voter hotline for any questions or problems that come about today: 1-866-VOTER-0-3, or 1-866-868-3703. Emails can also be sent to electionlaw@dog.nh.gov. The hotline is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.