Office of the Attorney General: Information for Voters, November 4, 2008, General Election

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

November 02, 2008

CONTACT:                Assistant Attorney General James Kennedy
                        1-866-868-3703 or (603) 271-3650


        Secretary of State Bill Gardner and Attorney General Kelly Ayotte want every person who is qualified as a New Hampshire voter, to vote at New Hampshire's General Election on Tuesday November 4, 2008. 

NHVotes is a new on-line web site that provides information on election procedures and voting.  NHVotes is available to voters, advocates, and election officials.  This web site was developed by the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and Justiceworks/Professor Andy Smith from UNH with a grant awarded by the PEW Charitable Trust and the JEHT Foundation, as part of the PEW Make Voting Work project.  Voters, advocates, and members of the public may take a course designed for voters and may also view courses designed for election officials.  New voters and those with questions about their rights, voting procedures, their rights to an accessible polling place, their rights to use the Accessible Voting System, or the election day registration process should visit: 

http:// http://nhvotes.sos.nh.gov/login/index.php

We encourage the press/media to provide the people of New Hampshire with information on this on-line source for voting information and the following information on voting.

Voting in New Hampshire

Please vote November 4, 2008!

Voting can be quick and easy!  New Hampshire has Election Day registration for voters.  People who are qualified as New Hampshire voters may go to their local polling places on Election Day, register and vote.  Municipal and State election officials have been planning for months to accommodate a record number of voters on November 4th, including a record number of people who will be registering to vote at the polls.  Election officials will be available at every polling place to assist people with voter registration and the voting process. 

People are encouraged to vote as early during Election Day as is convenient. 

Most polling places are open from 8:00 AM until 7:00 PM. 

A few polling places will open at 6:00 AM, some at 7:00 AM, and a very few as late as 11:00 AM. 

A few polling places will remain open until 8:00 PM.  Any voter planning to vote after 7:00 PM should make certain prior to Election Day that his or her town/city is one of the those that remain open until 8:00 PM.

Voters should check with their town/city website, clerk's office, or the Secretary of State’s website to determine their polls’ hours.  http://www.sos.nh.gov/polling.htm Every qualified voter who arrives at his or her polling place by the scheduled close of voting will be allowed to vote.

People with disabilities have a right to a physically accessible polling place and use of the Accessible Voting System, which allows voters with vision or other disabilities to vote privately and independently. 

Any voter who because he or she cannot read or because of disability needs assistance to mark his or her ballot at the polling place, upon oath to the Moderator, is entitled to the assistance of a person of his or her choice, provided that person is not the voter's employer or union official.

People who are qualified as voters and who plan to vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, but have not yet registered to vote will need to prove their identities, that they are 18 years old or older, where their voting domicile is, and that they are citizens of the United States.  Any reasonable means may be used to prove these qualifications.  Following the suggestions below will make the voter registration process quicker and easier:

One easy way to prove identity is with a driver's license or other government issued identification.  You may also prove identity by having another voter verify your identity or by completing an identification affidavit. Age is proven by any reasonable document showing the applicant is 18 years of age or older.  Citizenship may be proven with a birth certificate, passport, naturalization papers, or with a citizenship affidavit that can be completed at the polling place.  Domicile, proof that you live at the address you are claiming as your voting address, can be easily proven with a New Hampshire driver's license or vehicle registration in the applicant’s name listing that address.  Any other form of reasonable proof or a domicile affidavit, which you can complete at the polling place, is also acceptable proof.

Any person who believes that his or her voting rights are being violated, or who believes that voting fraud, voter intimidation, or voter suppression is occurring should immediately contact the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office:  toll free 1-866-868-3703 or (603) 271-3650.

If people who are able to do so vote earlier in the day, it will help allow those voters who must vote later in the day to be able to vote quickly.

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