Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2024

CONTACT: press@securedemocracyusa.org

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

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.

###

Secure Democracy USA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that works to build confidence in our elections and improve voter access across the United States. We educate policymakers and the public about what it takes to safeguard our voting systems. We use sophisticated survey and messaging research to inform our strategy and we collaborate with state leaders, election administrators, policy  experts, and allies to ensure that all eligible citizens have the freedom to vote how they choose.