Bipartisan Win: NH Pre-Processing Bill Passes Senate with Unanimous Support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legislation would support local election officials, help deliver election results sooner, and build voter trust

Concord, N.H. – Earlier today, the New Hampshire Senate passed S.B. 537, a bill that would allow local election officials to pre-process mail ballots. The bill authorizes moderators to open outer envelopes for mail ballots as early as the Thursday prior to Election Day in order to prepare them for later tabulation. The bill would also allow moderators to begin processing ballots earlier on Election Day itself. The bill is now eligible for consideration in the House.

Statement from Secure Democracy USA Director of Advocacy Diego Echeverri:

“S.B. 537 will help town moderators get an important head start on processing mail ballots, which often translates to votes being counted faster and results being reported earlier – that means greater trust in elections all across the state. This bill is a bipartisan opportunity to strengthen election integrity in New Hampshire, and we now urge the House to make it a bipartisan win.”

Additional Background:

Sixty-one percent of New Hampshire voters support allowing local election officials to open, verify, and process absentee ballots before Election Day, according to a November 2023 poll from Secure Democracy Foundation. For more information on S.B. 537, or any other election-related bill moving in the New Hampshire Legislature, please contact press@securedemocracyusa.org.