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House panel backs making accessible voting machines program permanent
Summary
The House Election Law Committee voted unanimously to recommend HB 67, which would move a temporary pilot that shares state-owned accessible voting machines with towns into a permanent program and authorize funding to buy additional systems.
The House Election Law Committee voted 17-0 to recommend that the full House pass HB 67, a bill to convert a temporary pilot program that shares state-owned accessible voting machines with municipalities into a permanent statewide arrangement and to authorize funding for additional equipment.
The bill was introduced by Representative Robert Wherry, who said the measure would finish work begun in 2024 to expand private, independent voting for people with disabilities. "This bill simply seeks to remove the pilot program or to move the pilot program into a permanent agreement beginning in July of 2025," Wherry said during the committee hearing.
The bill follows last year’s HB 1264, which required the Secretary of State’s office to pilot the sharing of accessible voting machines with towns during the first six months of 2025 to cover town-meeting sessions. David Scanlon, New Hampshire’s secretary of state, told the committee the office has already made state-owned devices available to towns for the March town meetings and is ready to provide hardware, but warned municipalities about programming costs. "Depending on the type of election, the programming could be significantly higher," Scanlon said, estimating simple ballots could cost about $600 to program and more complex setups — for example multiple ballots for town and school — could cost hundreds more for the same town.
Deputy Secretary of State Erin Hennessy said the office supports the general goal of statewide availability but urged a modest delay in the bill's effective date to give clerks and the office more time to vet devices and procurement: "If we were to move to January 1, 2026, I think we could better meet the requirements of the legislation," she said, noting fiscal details would be addressed in the Finance Committee.
Testimony from disability advocates and local officials at the public hearing emphasized the practical effect of the machines. Fred Fournier, who said he is legally blind, described using the devices in Exeter and said the machines let him "navigate a ballot just like the sighted people do." Members of the Coalition of Blind and Vision Impaired Voters, municipal clerks and the New Hampshire Municipal Association also urged the committee to make the pilot permanent, while several clerks asked for more time to assess costs and device options.
Scanlon and Hennessy told the committee the state is vetting replacement voting devices; one vendor has Election Assistance Commission (EAC) approval, and several towns already use a VotingWorks device that records an image of each ballot. The secretary's office also said it has a balance in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) account it can use to cost-share purchases with municipalities; Representative Matt Wilhelm asked the HAVA balance and Scanlon replied it was "probably in the $12,000,000 range" from his last count.
In executive session the committee adopted the committee report recommending HB 67 ought to pass. The report notes fiscal issues will follow to Finance; the committee record shows Representative Harvey Beaulieu declared a conflict and did not participate in the vote.
If enacted, the bill would move the Secretary of State’s pilot program into a permanent program and authorize funding for additional accessible voting systems for town and municipal elections. Implementation details, procurement and any timeline changes were emphasized repeatedly during testimony as matters for the Secretary of State’s office and municipal clerks to coordinate.
Votes at a glance: HB 67 — Motion: "Ought to pass." Mover: Representative Robert Wherry; Second: Representative Connie Lane. Committee vote: yes 17, no 0; one member declared a conflict and did not participate.
The committee record shows strong public support from disability-advocacy groups and municipal officials, and the Secretary of State’s office urging a modest schedule shift to allow procurement and programming logistics to be completed without disrupting municipal administrators.
