Voters hit the polls at Hookset’s David R. Cawley Middle School on Tuesday morning. (Will Steinfeld | New Hampshire Bulletin)
Most towns and cities in New Hampshire have been processing and counting their absentee ballots since 1 p.m. Tuesday, the earliest time allowed under state law.
But election officials in two communities – Durham and Windham – will not be opening their absentee ballots until after the polls close at 7 p.m. in Durham and 8 p.m. in Windham thanks to a series of procedural challenges by voters.
The tactics will not disrupt the election, but could delay results in Durham – a reliably Democratic college town – and Windham, which is reliably Republican. Both towns could make a difference if the statewide elections for governor or president are close.
Under RSA 659:49, if 10 voters in a polling district issue written challenges, the moderator must postpone the counting of absentee ballots until after the polls have closed. Those written challenges must all be submitted on Election Day by 1 p.m.
In Durham, challengers managed to meet that threshold today, forcing the delay, according to a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office.
In Windham, a group of voters successfully used the tactic in the Sept. 10 primary. Anticipating they would do so again, town election officials announced voluntarily that they would be counting the absentee ballots after the election.
Election activists have used the maneuver to ensure the counts are carried out at a more convenient time to observe.
Polls close in most towns at 7 p.m., but any voter still in line at that time will get to register to vote and vote if they stay in line.
In Windham and Durham, poll workers will now need to register those remaining voters and collect their votes before they can count the absentee ballots. Only after counting the absentee ballots can election officials count the same-day ballots and issue the results.