On Tuesday, Sept. 13, New Hampshire voters will weigh in on which Republican and Democratic candidates will represent each party on the ballot in November’s general election.
On the Republican side, there are competitive primaries for one of New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seats and both of its congressional districts. Gov. Chris Sununu is also facing several Republican challengers hoping to oust him this fall.
On the Democratic side, there are fewer competitive primaries at the top of the ticket. The only Democrat running for governor is Tom Sherman, a state senator from Rye. No one is challenging Congresswoman Annie Kuster or Congressman Chris Pappas during the primary. U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan is facing two lesser-known Democratic challengers, but she is expected to hold onto her party’s nomination.
Of course, the top of the ticket races aren’t the only important ones. Voters will also have a chance to nominate candidates running for the New Hampshire House and Senate, Executive Council, county attorney, county sheriff, county commissioner and more.
A team of attorneys led by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office will be watching for problems at the polls across the state, but officials will be watching the voting process in three communities especially closely. Election monitors will be stationed in Windham, Bedford and one ward in Laconia to ensure pollworkers in each community are following state election law, after problems were reported in each location during the November 2020 election.
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A few important things to know
Polling hours vary by community. All polling places in New Hampshire must be open from at least 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., but many open earlier and some close later. Find out the hours in your community here or here. You can also contact your local clerk for more information, and you can look up contact information on this website.
If you’re not already registered to vote, you can do that at the polls. You can find more information on Election Day registration here.
You can only vote in the Republican or Democratic primary, not both. If you’re an undeclared voter, you can choose either primary. If you’re a registered Republican, you can only vote in the Republican contest; if you’re a registered Democrat, you can only vote in the Democratic contest. The last day for registered voters to change their party affiliation was May 31. Click here for more information on voting in party primaries.
You’ll find different candidates on your ballot depending on which party’s primary you’re participating in and where you live. Sample ballots for the Republican and Democratic primaries in every community are available here.
You might also find different candidates on your ballot than you did in the 2020 elections. Because of changes made during the latest redistricting cycle, New Hampshire’s political maps for the State House and Executive Council look much different than they did during the last election. The state’s congressional districts are slightly different, but remain largely the same as before.
If you run into problems trying to vote or have other questions about what you’re seeing at the polls, call the state’s election hotline. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office will operate an Election Day Hotline from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 13. Voters or election officials can call 1-866-868-3703 (1-866-VOTER03) or email electionlaw@doj.nh.gov with questions or concerns.
What issues are most important to you as you cast your ballot this year? Let us know here.
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Election results: Governor, U.S. Senate, 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts
Check back here to find out who’s winning the primaries for New Hampshire governor, U.S. Senate, 1st Congressional District and 2nd Congressional District. The results are provided by NPR using data reported by the Associated Press.
We won’t be providing live results for other races at this time but expect to deliver those results for the general election in November.