HB176: (New Title) relative to listing candidates on ballots and relative to instructions to voters.

CHAPTER 201

HB 176 – FINAL VERSION

04/22/04 1221s

25May2004… 1616CofC

2004 SESSION

03-0618

03/10

HOUSE BILL 176

AN ACT relative to listing candidates on ballots and relative to instructions to voters.

SPONSORS: Rep. Stritch, Rock 75

COMMITTEE: Election Law

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill requires the names of candidates to be listed in party columns on the state general election ballot. This bill also revises the instructions to voters to be placed on general election ballots.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

04/22/04 1221s

25May2004… 1616CofC

03-0618

03/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Four

AN ACT relative to listing candidates on ballots and relative to instructions to voters.

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

201:1 Party Columns. RSA 656:5 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

656:5 Party Columns. The names of all candidates nominated in accordance with the election laws shall be arranged upon the state general election ballot in successive party columns. Each separate column shall contain the names of the candidates of one party; except that, if only a part of a full list of candidates is nominated by a political party, 2 or more such lists may be arranged whenever practicable in the same column. The first column shall contain the names of the candidates of the party which received the largest number of votes at the last preceding state general election.

201:2 Designation of Office. RSA 656:6 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

656:6 Designation of Office. Immediately to the left of the set of party columns shall be an offices column which shall list the offices, each preceded by the word “For”, for which the candidates whose names are listed in the party columns have been nominated, as in “For Governor”. Below each such phrase shall be printed in small but easily legible letters “Vote for any (here insert a number designating how many persons are to be voted for)”.

201:3 Party Designation. RSA 656:9 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

656:9 Party Designation. Above each party column shall be printed in large, plain letters the name of the political party by which the candidates in such column were nominated.

201:4 Marking the Ballot; Instructions to Voters. RSA 659:17 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

659:17 Marking the Ballot; Instructions to Voters. The secretary of state shall provide on the top of the general election ballot the following voting instructions. The secretary of state is authorized to replace the phrase “Make the appropriate mark” with an appropriate description and example of the mark to be made for the type of ballot in use, such as “Make a cross (X) in the box,” “Completely fill in the oval,” or “Complete the arrow”:

1) To Vote

Make the appropriate mark to the right of your choice. For each office vote for not more than the number of candidates stated in the sentence: “Vote for not more than _.” If you vote for more than the stated number of candidates, your vote for that office will not be counted.

2) To Vote a Straight Ticket

To vote for all candidates running in the same political party (straight ticket), make the appropriate mark to the right of the party name in the straight ticket section of the ballot. You may vote a straight ticket and also vote for individual candidates from any party. If you vote for an individual candidate, the straight ticket vote for only that office is canceled. If more than one candidate is to be elected for an office, you must mark each of your choices for that office. If you vote a straight ticket and do not make the appropriate mark to the right of any candidate for an office, your straight ticket vote will count for that office.

3) To Vote by Write-In

To vote for a person whose name is not printed on the ballot, write in the name of the person in the “write-in” space. Make the appropriate mark to the right of your choice.

201:5 Repeal. RSA 659:18, relative to instructions for write-in voting, is repealed.

201:6 Effective Date.

I. Sections 1-3 of this act shall take effect January 1, 2005.

II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.

(Approved: June 11, 2004)

(Effective Date: I. Sections 1-3 shall take effect January 1, 2005.

II. Remainder shall take effect June 11, 2004.)