659:4-a Change of Polling Hours in Towns. –
I. At any annual town meeting, any town may vote to place a question on the state election ballot to change the hours at which polls shall open, provided that the polls shall not open later than 11 o'clock in the morning and shall not close earlier than 7 o'clock in the evening. Such vote shall be under an article inserted into the warrant pursuant to RSA 39:3. The wording of the question shall be as follows:
"Polling hours in the town of __________ (name of town) are now __________ (hour at which polls now open) to __________ (hour at which polls now close). Shall we place a question on the state election ballot to change polling hours so that polls shall open at __________ (proposed hour at which polls would open) and close at __________ (proposed hour at which polls would close) for all regular state elections beginning __________ (next state election)?"
II. Upon an affirmative vote on the question in paragraph I, the governing body of the town shall notify the secretary of state, by the filing deadline established in RSA 655:14, of the approved times for the question to be printed on the next state general election ballot. The secretary of state shall place the following question on the next state general election ballot in the form prescribed by RSA 656:13:
"Polling hours in the town of __________ (name of town) are now __________ (hour at which polls now open) to __________ (hour at which polls now close). Shall we change polling hours so that polls shall open at __________ (proposed hour at which polls would open) and close at __________ (proposed hour at which polls would close) for all regular state elections beginning __________ (next state election)?"
III. In a town with a town council as the legislative body, the town council may vote to place a question on the state election ballot to change the hours at which polls shall open, provided that the polls shall not open later than 11 o'clock in the morning and shall not close earlier than 7 o'clock in the evening. The governing body shall notify the secretary of state of the question to be placed on the ballot in accordance with the requirements of paragraph II.
IV. As an alternative to the procedures established in paragraphs I-III, the governing body of a town may extend the hours of polling in the town, provided that no extension of the hours of polling adopted under this paragraph shall take effect sooner than 60 days after its adoption. Any reduction of the hours of polling adopted under this paragraph shall conform to the provisions of paragraphs I-III.
Source. 1998, 275:2. 2007, 8:1, eff. July 1, 2007.