New Hampshire HB 1600: relative to access to the centralized voter registration database on election days.

Bill Text

HB 1600-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

19Feb2026... 0626h

19Feb2026... 0771h

26Mar2026... 1097h

2026 SESSION

 26-3188

 08/07

HOUSE BILL 1600-FN

AN ACT relative to access to the centralized voter registration database on election days.

SPONSORS: Rep. Wilhelm, Hills. 21; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44

COMMITTEE: Election Law

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

 This bill requires the secretary of state, town, and city clerks to ensure that each polling place in the state has access to the statewide centralized voter registration database on each state, local, and federal election day during the operating hours of that polling place.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

19Feb2026... 0626h

19Feb2026... 0771h

26Mar2026... 1097h 26-3188

 08/07

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT relative to access to the centralized voter registration database on election days.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 Department of State; Centralized Voter Registration Records. Amend RSA 654:12, VI to read as follows: 

 VI. The department of state shall provide access to data from centralized voter registration records, records from the department of safety, and New Hampshire vital records provided in accordance with RSA 654:45 to assist voters in providing proof of citizenship, age, domicile, and identity to the city and town clerks. The secretary of state shall work with the city and town clerks to ensure direct or indirect access on election day at the polling location to the statewide centralized voter registration database on each state, local, and federal election day during the operating hours of that polling place. If proof of age, citizenship, domicile, or identity information of a voter is provided pursuant to this section, it shall satisfy that registration requirement for that qualification. Absence of data shall not disqualify a person. It shall be the applicant's responsibility to provide appropriate additional proof of their qualifications as required by this chapter. 

 2 Centralized Voter Registration Database. Amend RSA 654:45 to read as follows: 

 654:45 Centralized Voter Registration Database. 

 I.(a) The secretary of state [is authorized to] shall plan, develop, equip, establish, site, and maintain a statewide centralized voter registration database and communications system, hereinafter referred to as the voter database, connecting users throughout the state. The voter database shall include the current information on the voter registration forms, the accepted absentee ballot applications, the voter checklists, and voter actions as recorded on the marked checklist maintained by each city, ward, and town in the state. The database shall maintain addresses in accordance with United States Postal Service standardized addresses as described in the current USPS Publication 28. 

 (b) The secretary of state shall provide for a verification process that voters sharing a place and date of birth, along with a substantially similar name to include nicknames or likely maiden/married name changes, are unique voters. Should any voter appear to be a duplicate, that information shall be forwarded to the supervisors of the checklist of the cities or towns involved for review and confirmation. The supervisor of the checklist shall notify the secretary of state of the result of such review, and should the records show that a single individual may have voted more than once in any election such information shall be forwarded to the attorney general for further investigation or prosecution. 

 II. Any election official in the state authorized by this chapter to have direct access to the voter database may obtain immediate electronic access to the information contained in the voter database related to individuals registered or registering to vote in the election official's jurisdiction. The office of the clerk is hereby designated as a database access point for each town or city. The secretary of state may authorize additional database access points in a town or city, including election day access points at polling places during the operational hours of the polling place. 

 III. The voter database shall, upon certification by the secretary of state, be the official record of eligible voters for the conduct of all elections held in this state. 

 IV.(a) The voter database shall have the following minimum components: 

 (1) An electronic communications system that provides access for election officials from at least one point in each city and