Accessible Voting in New Hampshire
The Tuesday, November 8, 2022 General Election is over. Thank you for voting!
- Same day voter registration is available.
- You must have a specific reason (including disability) to vote by mail.
- Check to see if an accessible vote-by-mail system is available.
Accessible Voting Tips
As a voter with a disability, you have a right to vote privately and independently, at an accessible voting location, on an accessible voting system.
If you need more information or assistance using your right to vote, these organizations can help
- Visit your state Voting with Disabilities page or call (603) 271-3242 for the options available in your state.
- Contact your local election office for help voting and details about local support for accessible voting.
- Your local Center for Independent Living has information and other support.
- Call your state National Disability Rights Network (NRDN) Protection & Advocacy office if someone is interfering with your right to vote.
- If you are a first-time voter or moved recently, check the voter ID requirements in your state. VoteRiders has information about the types of identification accepted.
- You can also call 1-800-OUR-VOTE to report any problems voting.
Your rights
As a voter with a disability, you have a right to:
- Vote privately and independently
- At an accessible polling place
- Using an accessible voting system
If you need assistance you can:
- Ask an election worker, or
- Bring someone to help you
You may request your local election officials to tell you about any voting aids, voting assistance, and absentee ballot procedures that are available.
Election officials must make any reasonable accommodations you need to vote. This might include
- A place to sit if you have trouble standing
- A quiet, private place to vote
You cannot be refused the right to vote because an election worker thinks your disability means you are not qualified to vote.
Open the sections on this page to learn more about accessible options for early voting, voting in person on election day, and voting by mail.
Accessible voting features in New Hampshire for voters with disabilities
- Check with your local election office to see if you can vote by mail for all elections.
- Voters with print disabilities can use an accessible vote-by-mail system.
- Check with your local election office to see if an accessible vote-by-mail system is available
Ask your local election office about other support for accessible voting, like:
- Other services or assistance for voters with disabilities.
- How to get assistance in marking and casting your ballot.
- Emergency voting options if you are hospitalized or ill.
- An opportunity to practice using the accessible voting system.
- Ballot delivery to your home or a “ride to the polls” program.
- Curbside or drive-up voting, so you don’t have to get out of your car.
- Election and voting information in large print, audio, or Braille versions.
Learn more about the laws that protect your rights
Early voting is voting in person before Election Day, which is usually less crowded than going to vote on Election Day itself. There are different kinds of early voting, so check the options available for you. They might include:
- vote centers where you can vote at any location in your jurisdiction
- super polling places where you are assigned a location
- voting at an elections office or satellite office
- in-person absentee, where you go to an elections office, get your mail ballot, and then mark and cast it in the office.
Contact your local elections office for opportunities to vote in person before Election Day.
- All voters are asked to show a photo ID.
- Voters without ID can sign an affidavit.
When you vote in person on Election Day, you go to a voting center to mark and cast your ballot in person. Every in-person voting location is required to have accessible voting systems available.
Polling places are open from at least 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Exact hours vary by location.
- Same-day registration is available at designated Election Day locations.
- All voters are asked to show a photo ID.
- Voters without ID can sign an affidavit.
Find your polling place.
Accessible voting systems for in-person voting
The accessible voting systems used in New Hampshire are shown below. Contact your local election office for more information or a change to practice using the system you will vote on.
Democracy Live OmniBallot Tablet
A ballot marking system.
It has a touch screen, audio, and tactile controls.
The printed ballot is a facsimile of a hand-marked paper ballot.
Ballots are cast at a scanner.
Learn more about using the OmniBallot Tablet
- News report from Minnesota about the OmniBallot with demonstrations (YouTube 2:53 no captions)
- OmniBallot information for poll workers (YouTube 13:08 no captions)
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Voting by mail can be an accessible option for voters with disabilities. It lets you vote at home, so you can mark, verify and return a paper ballot privately and independently. Some states have emergency options if you are hospitalized or ill. |
Deadline to return your ballot:
Received by 5:00 pm on Election Day, November 8 for mailed ballots.
Delivered by 5:00 pm on November 7 for hand-delivered ballots.
How to get your ballot
- Voters must have an excuse to vote by mail.
- All voters must request a ballot for each election.
To get your ballot you can:
- Download, print, and mail a request form.
How to return your ballot
By mail
At your local elections office
Make sure your ballot counts! Remember...
Return your ballot promptly. Postmarks don't count.
Put enough postage on the envelope.
If you drop off your ballot, you must do so by the day before Election Day.
Make sure your ballot is sealed in the envelope.
Sign the form on the envelope.
- A family member, household member, or caregiver can return your ballot for you. Contact your local elections office for more information.
- If someone helped you, have them complete the form for assistants.
Learn about accessible voting by mail options in the next card.
Accessible voting by mail allows voters with disabilities to mark a mail-in ballot electronically, using their own technology and assistive tools.
To use accessible tools for voting by mail, typically voters:
- Download an electronic ballot to mark using personal technology
- Print the ballot and any signature form
- Seal the ballot in an envelope
- Return it by mail or to a ballot drop off locatoin
Some states allow electronic return by email, fax, or a secure portal.
There is a statewide accessible vote by mail program in New Hampshire called Electronic Absentee Ballot
- You can use accessible vote by mail if you have a disability that prevents you from marking a paper ballot.
Voters with print disabilities can receive and mark an absentee ballot on their own personal computer.
There is an online PDF request form. Voters can type their signature and email the completed application to their clerk.
Once approved, voters are sent two emails: one with a link to a web site to access their ballot and the other with their unique PIN.
The marked ballot is printed along with the absentee ballot affidavit. The signature on the affidavit may be typed.
Deadline to return your ballot:
Received by 5:00 pm on Election Day, November 8 for mailed ballots.
Delivered by 5:00 pm on November 7 for hand-delivered ballots.
Returning a printed ballot
- Print the marked ballot and check it to be sure it is marked correctly
- Follow the instructions to complete and sign any forms
- Seal the ballot in an envelope
To return your ballot, you can:
- By mail
- At your local election office
- You or a near relative may deliver it in person to the elections office.
The systems in use in New Hampshire for accessible voting by mail are:
Enhanced Voting Enhanced Ballot
Accessible system for voting by mail.
Electronic ballot delivery to mark and print.
Claims WCAG 2.0 Level AA and Section 508 compliance.
Learn more about using Enhanced Ballot
Learn more about accessible voting options in New Hampshire