SB 103-FN-LOCAL - AS INTRODUCEDAMENDED BY THE SENATE 03/13/2025 0741s SESSION 25-0557 08/09 SENATE BILL 103-FN-LOCAL AN ACT relative to the number of polling stations that are available for certain towns.

Election Law and Municipal Affairs ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── AMENDED ANALYSIS This billbill: requires towns and cities to have at least one polling place per every 20,000 registered voters unless the town or city has received approval from the secretary of state for fewer locations.

I.

Requires towns and cities to have at least one polling place per every 15,000 registered voters unless the town or city has received approval from the secretary of state and attorney general for fewer locations.

II.

Allows the secretary of state and attorney general to create conditions for towns and cities to follow if they seek to utilize one polling place for more than 15,000 voters.

SB 103-FN-LOCAL - AS INTRODUCEDAMENDED BY THE SENATE 03/13/2025 0741s 25-0557 08/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five AN ACT relative to the number of polling stations that are available for certain towns.

ForI. general elections in which the office of president of the United States is decided, a town or city shall have a minimum of one polling place for every 20,000 registered voters appearing on the checklist as of January 1, 2026, unless a plan to accommodate more than 20,000 registered voters with one location has been submitted to and approved by the secretary of state.

For general elections in which the office of president of the United States is decided, a town or city shall have a minimum of one polling place for every 15,000 registered voters appearing on the checklist as of January 1 of the year of the election, unless a plan to accommodate more than 15,000 registered voters with one location has been submitted to and jointly approved by the secretary of state and the attorney general.

The plan shall specifically address the following issues that could potentially cause a delay to voters:

(a) Traffic flow to and from the polling place;

(b) The presence of police officers or third party contractors to assist with traffic flow;

(c) The number of parking spaces adjacent to the polling place available to voters;

(d) The number of poll books and staff members available to assist with checking in voters;

(e) The presence of electronic poll books;

(f) The number of ballot counting machines;

(g) The number of stations and staff members available for same-day registrants;

and (h) Any other criteria specified by the secretary of state and the attorney general.

II.

The secretary of state and attorney general may request additional information when considering whether to approve a submitted plan, and such approval may be conditioned upon specific measures that must be met by the town or city on election day.

LBA 25-0557 1/16/255/12/25 SB 103-FN-LOCAL- FISCAL NOTE AS INTRODUCEDAMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2025-0741s) AN ACT relative to the number of polling stations that are available for certain towns.

EstimatedThis Politicalbill Subdivisiondoes Impactnot FYprovide 2025funding FYnor 2026does FYit 2027authorize FYnew 2028positions. County Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0 County Expenditures $0 $0 $0 $0 Local Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0 Indeterminable Increase Local Expenditures $0 $0 $0 more than $10,000 to $100,000 less METHODOLOGY:

ThisEstimated State Impact FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0 None Revenue Fund(s) Expenditures* $0 $0 $0 Indeterminable Funding Source(s) General Fund Appropriations* $0 $0 $0 $0 Funding Source(s) None *Expenditure = Cost of bill requires*Appropriation towns= andAuthorized citiesfunding to havecover atcost leastof onebill pollingEstimated placePolitical perSubdivision everyImpact 20,000FY registered2025 votersFY unless2026 theFY town2027 orFY city2028 hasCounty receivedRevenue approval$0 from$0 the$0 Secretary$0 ofCounty StateExpenditures for$0 fewer$0 locations.$0 $0 Local Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0 Indeterminable Increase Local Expenditures $0 $0 $0 more than $10,000 to $100,000 less METHODOLOGY:

AccordingThis tobill therequires Newtowns Hampshireand Municipalcities Associationto (NHMA),have dataat fromleast theone Secretarypolling ofplace Stateper forevery 15,000 registered voters unless the 2024town generalor electioncity showshas thatreceived theapproval followingfrom communitiesthe hadSecretary moreof thanState 20,000for registeredfewer voters:locations.

Concord,The Derry,New Dover,Hampshire Hudson,Municipal Keene,Association Manchester,(NHMA) Merrimack,states Nashua,that Portsmouth,any Rochester,municipality unable to obtain approval from the Secretary of State for fewer polling locations may experience an increase in local expenditures anticipated to range from more than $10,000 to less than $100,000, depending on the costs associated with setting up and Salem.staffing additional locations.

LondonderryThe hadDepartment overof 19,000Justice (DOJ) states that the fiscal impact of the bill is indeterminable because it depends on how many municipalities will have more than 15,000 registered voters andfor couldthe exceed2028 20,000general election in which the future.office of president of the United States is decided would request approval to accommodate said voters at a single polling site.

ForReview anyof municipalitythe unablerequests towould obtainbe approvaldone fromby the SecretaryElection ofLaw StateUnit forin fewerthe pollingDOJ locations,which localhas expenditureslimited areresources, anticipatedhowever tothe rangeunit fromis $10,000likely to $100,000be less,able dependingto onmanage the costs associated with setting up and staffing additional locations.duties.

If all affected municipalities were to request approval the unit would likely need two additional employees at an estimated total cost of $223,000 beginning in FY 2028.

Department of StateState, Department of Justice, and New Hampshire Municipal Association