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Sponsor says bill would let state parties request recounts when no candidate filed and write-ins prevail
Summary
HB 492 would allow state party committees to request recounts in primary races where no candidate filed and a write-in received enough votes to appear on the general-election ballot. The sponsor described a recent Strafford County primary in which a write-in received 35 votes and local parties said they lacked standing to seek a recount.
A bill before the House Election Law Committee would give state political party committees standing to request recounts in situations where a write-in receives enough votes to qualify for the general-election ballot but no candidate filed during the primary.
Representative Timothy Horrigan introduced HB 492 and described a September 10, 2024, Strafford County primary in which a write-in received enough votes to be placed on the opposing party column for the general election. Horrigan said the county party sought a recount but was denied by the secretary of state's office and the Ballot Law Commission on standing grounds because no one who ran as a write-in candidate had standing to request a recount under existing rules.
Horrigan said the bill would allow state party committees to request recounts in comparable situations and require the requesting party to pay the usual estimated costs for a recount under existing statutes. "This bill allows the state party committees to ask for recounts for situations similar to the September 10, 2024 District 3 county commissioner race," Horrigan said.
Committee members asked whether the statutory standard for who can request a recount already covers write-in candidates and whether independent or unaffiliated voters could be affected by the change. Horrigan noted that write-in nominations can sometimes succeed even if the candidate is not registered in the party in question, and he suggested the committee could examine registration and nomination mechanics in a later work session.
The chair reported online testimony in favor by 99 and opposed by 1. The committee closed the public hearing without taking formal action.
Why it matters: In tightly divided local contests, recount rules and standing can determine whether errors are corrected before the general election. This bill would create a statutory path for party committees to obtain recounts in narrowly defined write-in situations.
What’s next: The committee may review the interaction between party standing, write-in nominations, and the existing RSA recount rules when drafting any committee amendment.
