Voting & Election FAQ -updated for November 8, 2022 State General Election

Voting & Election FAQ

Tuesday, November 8th State General Election

Where can I register to Vote? – You can register to vote at the Town Clerk's Office through October 27th (10 days before an election). The Supervisors of the Checklist  will be having a session for registration on Saturday, October 29th from 11:00-12:00 at Town Hall. After October 29th, you must register at the polls. The Supervisors of the Checklist will have a table set up for voter registration at the polls on November 8th. 

What do I need to register to vote?- Proof of Identity (driver’s license, passport, etc.), proof of citizenship(birth certificate, passport, or naturalization paperwork), proof of domicile (driver’s license with Chester address or 2 documents showing your name and Chester address such as utility bill, paystub, bank statement).

Can I vote early or do mail in voting? - No, NH does not have early voting or mail in voting. NH has an absentee ballot process. Voters must formally request an absentee ballot by filling out an Absentee Ballot Request form and submitting it to the Town Clerk’s Office. The request is entered and tracked through the State’s ElectioNet database. You can track your ballot by going to https://app.sos.nh.gov/Public/AbsenteeBallot.aspx .

Is it too late to request an absentee ballot? – No, you can request an absentee ballot until Monday, November 7th. The Clerk’s office will be open from 3-5 PM on that Monday specifically for issuing and receiving absentee ballots only. Absentee ballots will be accepted until 5:00 PM on election day.

Can I drop off someone else’s Absentee Ballot Request form? – Yes, however the absentee ballot will be mailed to the voter. Absentee Ballots may not be handed to anyone other than the registered voter requesting the absentee ballot.

Can I drop off someone else’s absentee ballot? – Yes, but only if you meet the criteria of a Delivery Agent which is the voter’s spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandchild, in-laws (father, mother, son daughter) stepparent, stepchild, or a person assisting a blind voter or a voter with a disability who has signed a statement on the affidavit envelope acknowledging the assistance. Other delivery agent criteria would be for nursing home or residential care facility administrators for which we do not have in Chester at this time. An Absentee Ballot Return Form must be completed and proof of identity for the delivery agent must be presented.

Where and when do we vote? – 84 Chester Street on November 8th from 7:00AM-7:00PM. Voting will take place in the Multipurpose Room (MPR).

Can I wear campaign material inside the polls? – No, as this would be considered electioneering. Electioneering is now defined by statute as: “Electioneering means visibly displaying or audibly disseminating information that a reasonable person would believe explicitly advocates for or against any candidate, political party, or measure being voted. ” N.H. Rev. Stat. § 652:16-h. 

Can I take a "selfie" with my ballot? - Yes, however the photograph or selfie must not capture another voter or another voter's ballot and the voter taking the photo can not be disruptive. Best practice is to take a selfie inside a voting booth, so there is no risk of photographing another voter or their ballot. No person shall take or cause any photograph to be within the guardrail that captures another voter or another voter's ballot see RSA 659:45-a.

Where can I observe the conduct of the election? Anyone may come and watch the casting of ballots and the counting of ballots. The public is entitled to silently observe the election as long as they are not disruptive.  A voter may cast their ballot, exit the polling place (no voter shall be allowed to re-enter the enclosed space with the guardrail see RSA 659:26 Voters not Readmitted), and return to observe the conduct of the election in the designated area outside the rails (no person other than the election officials or registered voters in the process of voting may be within the rails except by the authority of the election officials see RSA 659:21 Admittance Within Guardrail). 

What happens if I mark more ovals than instructed for that race or question?(example - Race for Governor - vote for no more than 1- and I accidentally vote for 2) This is considered an overvoted ballot. When this happens, no candidate receives a vote. The ballot counting device will reject the ballot and you will be instructed to place your ballot in the side compartment of the voting machine so the ballot may be hand counted. If the intent of the voter is clearly shown (accidentally filled in the wrong oval and a large X is marked over the mistake and the intended candidate's oval is filled in) the vote in that race will be counted by an election official during the hand count.  However, if it is not clear, the vote for this race or question will not be counted. 

There is a lot of election materials and social media posts about the upcoming elections and voting, how do I know what to follow?- Always use trusted sources for your information such as your local election officials, Town Moderator, Supervisors of the Checklist, Town Clerks, or State election officials such as the NH Secretary of State’s Office, and NH Attorney General’s Office.