How to Register to Vote in Durham, NH

REGISTERING TO VOTE IN DURHAM, NH

Having the proper documentation is essential; registering before an election saves time.

WHAT YOU NEED TO REGISTER

Documents that prove your identity, age, citizenship, and domicile in Durham are required.  Documents may be presented in paper or electronic form. Filling out an affidavit form as an alternative to providing any of the required documents is no longer an option.

• Identity can be proved with a photo ID. (A driver’s license or non-driver’s license, passport/passcard, military ID, or school ID are commonly used.)
• Age can be proved using a driver’s license or non-driver ID from any state, a birth certificate, or a passport/passcard.
• Citizenship can be proved using a birth certificate, a US passport/passcard, a naturalization document, or certificate of citizenship. Please note that REAL ID compliant licenses and military IDs are not accepted as proof of US citizenship. The name on your citizenship document should match the one on your ID. If it doesn’t, you must have documents connecting the two, e.g., a marriage certificate showing a name change on marriage, adoption papers, or a court-issued certificate of a change of name.

NOTE: Recent changes to NH law have made proving domicile more complicated.

If you possess any of the following that shows your address in Durham, you MUST pick one to show as proof of domicile:

• NH driver’s license or non-driver’s license
• Resident vehicle registration
• Picture ID issued by the US government
• Government-issued check, benefit statement, or tax document

If you do not own any of the above, you may sign a form attesting, under penalty of voting fraud, that you do not possess any of these documents.  After signing an attestation form, you may show any of a number of other proofs of domicile, such as mail, a campus address on Webcat, or a rental agreement.  For more information, call the Town Clerk (603-868-5577).

WHERE AND WHEN TO REGISTER

You may register to vote at the town office during regular business hours.  Additional registration opportunities during evening and weekend hours are provided periodically by the Supervisors of the Checklist throughout the year. Notice of these registration sessions will be posted at the Town Hall, the Post Office, and usually on the town website. 

The Supervisors of the Checklist will always schedule a session for voter registration 6 to 13 days prior to any election. (Check the notices as mentioned above or in Durham’s Friday Update).   After that session, registration will be closed and no names can be added to the voter checklist until the impending Election Day, at which time you may register to vote at the polls.

Please note:

• Once the filing period for any primary opens, no party changes can be accepted until after that primary election.  For a state primary, the filing period runs from the first Wednesday in June until after the state primary election in September.  Because of New Hampshire’s unique first-in-the-nation primary status, the filing period for the presidential primary fluctuates depending on the date set by New Hampshire’s Secretary of State.  Generally, the filing period opens late in October with the election being held early in February.  
   
• Once you are registered, your name remains on the Durham checklist for all town, state, federal and school district elections.  Once registered, only a photo I.D. is needed to vote.  If you move to another New Hampshire town, you must register to vote there.  If you are a student attending UNH and residing in Durham, in a dorm or in an apartment or house in Durham, you may vote in Durham or you may choose to vote where your parents live.
   
• New Hampshire election laws frequently change.  For further information about voter registration requirements, election dates, and registration deadlines, visit the NH Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.nh.gov.