On Sept. 8, New Hampshire voters will once again head to polling places across our state to choose their nominees for public office.
We come to this election from different backgrounds and political perspectives. Two of us represented New Hampshire in Congress from different parties — and once ran against each other. Today, we work together as bipartisan co-chairs of the Democracy Defense Foundation in New Hampshire. One of us serves as New Hampshire’s Secretary of State, overseeing our state’s elections.
But on this, we agree: New Hampshire voters should approach Election Day with confidence.
That confidence should come from understanding how New Hampshire elections actually work. At a time when misinformation travels quickly and Americans encounter conflicting claims about election security and results, knowing the facts about our own system has never been more important.
New Hampshire has a good story to tell. Together, we have worked to highlight the fundamental strengths of our state’s electoral system and help Granite Staters understand why New Hampshire’s approach can serve as a model for secure, transparent elections.
Our elections are, first and foremost, local. They are administered by moderators, town and city clerks, supervisors of the checklist, ballot clerks, inspectors and hundreds of our friends and neighbors. The Secretary of State’s office provides statewide training, guidance and support while preserving the local control that is so important to New Hampshire.
That local character provides transparency. You can see the process, know the people running it and find a physical record of every vote.
Every vote in New Hampshire is cast on a paper ballot. Some communities count ballots by hand; others use electronic ballot-counting machines. No ballot counting machine used in New Hampshire is connected to the internet. These machines count paper ballots; voters do not cast their votes on a machine. The paper ballot remains the official record and can be audited or recounted by hand when required.
That distinction matters when national conversations about elections may bear little resemblance to how elections work here. Before accepting a claim about election administration, voters should ask a simple question: Is that how we do it in New Hampshire?
While election systems vary across the country, ours remains rooted in local control, paper ballots and a process Granite Staters can see in their own communities. It is a distinctly New Hampshire approach — decentralized, transparent and accountable.
That transparency continues after the polls close. Communities report unofficial results on election night. Election officials then reconcile ballots and voting records before official results are certified through the canvass process. Accuracy comes before speed, and those safeguards help ensure the results are right.
Election security is only part of a successful system. Voters also need to know how to participate. Bring a valid photo ID. If you are eligible but not registered, New Hampshire allows same-day registration at your polling place with documentation establishing your identity, age, U.S. citizenship and domicile. Registered Republicans receive a Republican primary ballot and registered Democrats a Democratic ballot. Undeclared voters may choose either, then complete a form to return to undeclared status before leaving.
Confirm your polling place using the Secretary of State’s Voter Information Lookup at sos.nh.gov. If you qualify for absentee voting, contact your local clerk early.
Knowing how to vote makes participation easier. Understanding the system builds something equally important: confidence in the outcome.
Confidence in elections cannot depend on whether our preferred candidate wins. All three of us have spent significant portions of our lives in elections. We know what it is like to win and lose. But resolving disagreements peacefully depends upon a system in which eligible citizens can vote, ballots are securely counted and results can be verified.
New Hampshire’s system has earned confidence not because human beings never make mistakes. Elections are administered by people, and errors can occur. That is why checks and balances matter. Ballots and voting records are reconciled, results are canvassed, and paper ballots provide a physical record that can be audited or recounted when required.
The strength of the system is transparency with safeguards designed to identify and correct mistakes. That same transparency is why New Hampshire welcomes federal election monitors. We welcome outside observation because our elections are something we can put on display.
Between now and Election Day, learn about the candidates. Check your polling location. Make sure you have what you need to vote. Ask questions from reliable sources, including the Secretary of State’s office.
Whatever your party, cast your ballot knowing that New Hampshire has safeguards in place to protect your vote and a transparent process for counting it. On Sept. 8, we hope Granite Staters will go to the polls informed, prepared and confident that their vote will count.
Richard Swett, a Democrat, represented New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House and later served as U.S. Ambassador to Denmark. He lives in Bow. Charlie Bass, a Republican, represented New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House. He lives in Peterborough. Swett and Bass serve as co-chairs of the Democracy Defense Foundation’s New Hampshire team. David Scanlan is New Hampshire’s Secretary of State and lives in Bow.