CHAPTER 78

HB 1527-FN - FINAL VERSION

15Mar2022... 0222h

2022 SESSION

22-2120

11/10

HOUSE BILL 1527-FN

AN ACT relative to vote returns.

SPONSORS: Rep. Yakubovich, Merr. 24; Rep. Ankarberg, Straf. 10; Rep. Verville, Rock. 2

COMMITTEE: Election Law

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill requires cities and towns that use AccuVote devices to send a paper copy of the long report tape to the secretary of state with the return of votes form.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

15Mar2022... 0222h 22-2120

11/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two

AN ACT relative to vote returns.

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

78:1  Forwarding; Retaining Copies of Return.  Amend RSA 659:75 to read as follows:

659:75  Forwarding; Retaining Copies of Return.

I. One copy of the election return shall be forwarded by the town or ward clerk to the secretary of state in both paper and electronic form no later than 8:00 a.m. on the day following a state election unless the secretary of state orders them at a different time and date.  The other shall be kept by the town or city clerk in accordance with RSA 33-A:3-a and shall be open to public inspection at reasonable times.  If an official state election return is sealed along with the ballots, the clerk having custody of the sealed ballots shall, at the request of the secretary of state, and in the presence of a state election official, unseal the ballots and retrieve the election return.  The ballots shall be immediately resealed and the election return shall be delivered to the secretary of state by the election official.

II.  For a city or town that uses an AccuVote electronic ballot counting device in a state election, the town or ward clerk shall print and forward a paper copy of the long report tape to the secretary of state with the return of votes form and shall keep a paper copy of the long report tape with the paper return of votes form that is retained by the town or city clerk in accordance with paragraph I.

78:2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: May 20, 2022

Effective Date: July 19, 2022