New Hampshire HB 1520: defining citizenship for the purposes of voting.

Bill Text

HB 1520-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-3230

 08/09

HOUSE BILL 1520-FN

AN ACT defining citizenship for the purposes of voting.

SPONSORS: Rep. Wherry, Hills. 13; Rep. Burnham, Straf. 2; Rep. Sabourin dit Choiniere, Rock. 30; Rep. McGrath, Rock. 40; Rep. Ford, Rock. 3; Rep. Mary Murphy, Hills. 27; Rep. See, Merr. 26

COMMITTEE: Election Law

-----------------------------------------------------------------

ANALYSIS

 This bill defines both New Hampshire and United States citizenship for the purposes of voting.

 This bill also requires the secretary of state to distribute New Hampshire citizenship cards to native citizens and those persons from other states who take an oath of allegiance to the state of New Hampshire.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

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 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-3230

 08/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT defining citizenship for the purposes of voting.

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

 1 Resident; Inhabitant; Citizen. RSA 21:6 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows: 

 21:6 Resident; Inhabitant; Citizen; National. 

 I. "Inhabitant" means a citizen of this state qualified as the constitution provides to vote within this state, who dwells and has a domicile in the town, city, or other political subdivisions of this state. 

 II. "Citizen of this state" means a man or woman native born or a person naturalized as a citizen of the state of New Hampshire.

 III. "Naturalization" means the conferring of the nationality of a state upon a person after birth, by an oath of allegiance to the state of New Hampshire and the relinquishment of allegiance to any other state.

 IV. "Naturalized citizen of the United States" means a citizen of the United States who is admitted to become a citizen of the state of New Hampshire.

 V. "National" means a person owing permanent allegiance to a state. 

 VI. "Domicile" means the one place within this state where a citizen of this state dwells and has his or her home for voting purpose, to the exclusion of all other residences.

 VII. "Resident" means a person who resides within this state who is not a citizen of this state as he or she is a citizen of the state from whence they came.

 VIII. "Alien" means any person not a citizen of this state is a resident alien. A legal resident is alien to this state as they are citizens of another state or federal territory.

 2 Voter; Office Holder. Amend RSA 654:1, I and I-a to read as follows: 

 I. Every inhabitant of the state, having a single established domicile for voting purposes, being a citizen of New Hampshire, being a citizen of the United States, of the age provided for in Article 11 of Part First of the Constitution of New Hampshire, shall have a right at any meeting or election, to vote in the town, ward, or unincorporated place in which he or she is domiciled. An inhabitant's domicile for voting purposes is that one place where a person, more than any other place, has established a physical presence and manifests an intent to maintain a single continuous presence for domestic, social, and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government. A person has the right to change domicile at any time, however a mere intention to change domicile in the future does not, of itself, terminate an established domicile before the person actually moves. 

 I-a. A student of any institution of learning may lawfully claim domicile for voting purposes in the New Hampshire town or city in which he or she lives while attending such institution of learning if the student is a citizen of New Hampshire and a citizen of the United States and if such student's claim of domicile otherwise meets the requirements of RSA 654:1, I. 

 3 Determining Qualifications of Applicant. Amend RSA 654:12, I to read as follows: 

 I. When determining the qualifications of an applicant desiring to register to vote, whether the applicant seeks to register before election day or on election day, the supervisors of the checklist, or the town or city clerk, shall require the applicant to present proof of New Hampshire citizenship, United States citizenship, age, domicile, and identity as provided in the following categories: 

 (a) NEW HAMPSHIRE CITIZENSHIP. The supervisors of the checklist, or the town or city clerk, shall accept from the applicant any one of the following as proof of New Hampshire citizenship: the applicant's birth certificate from the state of New Hampshire, or a New Hampshire citizenship card attesting to the voter’s birth in the state of New Hampshire or an oath of alle