New Hampshire

Polls must be open from at least 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, but individual communities may open their polls earlier or close them later. Look up exact hours for your community here at the NH Secretary of State’s website.

Designated polling locations and their hours are available here at the NH Secretary of State’s website.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in New Hampshire if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Are domiciled in New Hampshire town or ward in which you seek to vote

You are NOT eligible to vote in New Hampshire if:

• You are in prison or jail for a felony conviction.

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

How to register 

• New Hampshire Congressional, State and Gubernatorial Primary Election
  • Last Date to Change Party Affiliation by Tue Jun 2, 2026
  • Submitted by Wed Aug 26, 2026
  • In Person: Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Sep 8, 2026 7:00PM
• New Hampshire Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election
  • Submitted by Wed Oct 21, 2026
  • In Person: Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Nov 3, 2026 7:00PM

On-line registration is not available in New Hampshire. For more information on Registering to Vote in New Hampshire, please visit: https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/register-vote 

There is no minimum length of time that an individual is required to live in New Hampshire to qualify to vote. The individual just needs to establish a domicile in the New Hampshire jurisdiction in which they are registering.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• By Email

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

New Hampshire Congressional, State and Gubernatorial Primary Election

Ballot Request:

• In-Person Request by Mon Sep 7, 2026 5:00PM
• Request for Postal Ballot by Mon Sep 7, 2026 12:00PM

Ballot Return:

• In-Person, Received by Mon Sep 7, 2026 5:00PM
• Post Received by Tue Sep 8, 2026 5:00PM

New Hampshire Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election

Ballot Request:

• In-Person Request by Mon Nov 2, 2026 5:00PM
• Request for Postal Ballot by Mon Nov 2, 2026 12:00PM

Ballot Return:

• Post Received by Tue Nov 3, 2026 5:00PM

Absentee ballots must be returned to the clerk’s office:

• by 5:00 pm on Election Day – (mail)
• by 5:00 pm on Election Day – (in person)

New Hampshire does not have early voting.  If a voter will be unable to vote in person on Election Day, they can request an absentee ballot. For more information on absentee voting or to download an Application Form, visit the web site: Absentee Ballots.  To account for mail delays,the voter should request their absentee ballot as early as possible.  The voter may mail, fax,or hand deliver the completed application to their town or city clerk’s office.  
A voter may check the status of their application for an absentee ballot or their absentee ballot at https://app.sos.nh.gov/voterinformation.

Voter Registration

In order to complete your voter registration in New Hampshire and vote for the first time, you will need to prove your identity, age, domicile, and citizenship. Accepted IDs include:

• Valid New Hampshire Vehicle Registration
• Valid ID Issued by Another State
• Birth Certificate
• Valid New Hampshire non-driver’s ID
• Valid US Passport
• Valid New Hampshire issued ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid New Hampshire Driver’s License except one issued to an individual that is not a United States citizen
• A signed, Challenged Voter Registration Affidavit
• Valid Federal issued ID

Note: You may use any combination of one or more of these documents provided to establish proof of your identity, age, domicile and citizenship. New Hampshire requires voters to provide proof of citizenship with their voter registration application. Further, detailed information can be found in the [NH Guidelines to Register to Vote](https://www.sos.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt561/files/inline-documents/sonh/registering-to-vote-in-new-hampshire-eff-9.30.25.pdf)

Voting In-Person

Accepted forms of ID include:

• Valid New Hampshire Voter ID Card with Photo
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Military ID
• Valid New Hampshire Driver’s License
• Valid New Hampshire Non-driver’s ID
• Valid Student ID from State School
• Federally issued Driver’s License

The name on your voter id must match the name on your voter registration record. Beginning in June 2026, New Hampshire will no longer accept student IDs.

To be valid, the ID must contain the voter’s name and photograph and have an expiration date that has not been exceeded by more than five years, except that voters age 65 or older can vote regardless of when the ID expired.

A voter who does not have an approved photo ID may obtain a free photo ID for voting purposes only by presenting

a voucher from their town/city clerk or the Secretary of State to any NH DMV office that issues identification.

A voter might vote without providing ID, the ballot clerk shall direct the voter to see the supervisor of the checklist. The supervisor of the checklist shall review the voter’s qualifications and determine if the voter’s identity can be verified.

Voters should go to the polling place that corresponds to their current address. If a voter has moved within the same town or city ward they will need to show their domicile and update their address at the polling place.  If the voter has moved to a different town or city ward, the voter will be required to re-register buy need not prove citizenship’  

New Hampshire permits same-day registration if the voter does not appear on the checklist at the correct polling place and is otherwise properly qualified to vote.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You may include the following ID:

• Your New Hampshire non-driver ID number
• Your New Hampshire Driver’s License Number
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Valid New Hampshire Voter ID Card

New Hampshire requires voters to provide proof of citizenship with their voter registration application.

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You may include the following ID:

• Your New Hampshire Driver’s License Number
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Valid New Hampshire Voter ID Card
• Your New Hampshire non-driver ID number

New Hampshire requires voters to provide proof of citizenship with their voter registration application.

A voter  serving in the military or living overseas may register to vote and request an absentee ballot using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA),. The FPCA must be received by the clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day before the election to be processed. The ballot will only be counted if it is received by the town clerk by 5:00 PM on election day.

The address for registration and voting purposes is the last address the voter had in New Hampshire prior to enlisting or moving out of the country.  A voter who is a U.S. citizen living abroad and who indicates on their FPCA that they are uncertain if they will return to the U.S. or if they have never lived in the U.S. but their parent or legal guardian was last domiciled in New Hampshire will be issued a ballot that can only be used to vote for federal offices.

If a ballot has been requested and not received, Overseas and Military voters may use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) to vote for federal (but not state) offices.  To use the FWAB the voter must have first completed the FCPA. The ballot is blank and the voter writes in the office and name of the candidate.  When time is short, it is possible to first submit the FCPA and then mail in the FWAB without waiting for the ballot to be received.

A person incarcerated for a felony may not vote from the time of sentencing until released from prison. New Hampshire automatically restores voting rights to most persons with felony convictions upon release from prison, even if on probation or parole. The exception is for certain election related felonies.

Persons confined in a penal institution in pre-trial detention or as a result of a conviction for a misdemeanor retain the right to vote. And may request an absentee ballot. Their domicile for voting purposes is the town or city where they had their domicile immediately prior to being confined. 
Call 866-Our-Vote for more information.