Committee approves expansion of poll-pad use to town and school deliberative sessions, approves SB 43 as amended

The House Election Law Committee on a recent meeting approved Senate Bill 43 as amended to authorize the use of poll pads (poll books) at town and school deliberative sessions, business sessions and certain special meetings, after testimony from town officials and the New Hampshire Municipal Association and follow-up technical edits by legislative staff.

The amendment, offered by Representative James Newsom, clarifies and expands the types of local meetings at which municipalities and school districts may use poll pads for voter check-in. Supporters told the committee poll pads reduce lines and produce more accurate end-of-night returns; the municipal association endorsed the concept but asked for corrections to statutory citations in the amendment.

Representative James Newsom, Merrimack District Nine (Hopkinton), introduced amendment 2025-1651h (filed as part of the SB 43 package) and explained the amendment revises two paragraphs of the bill and the non-germane section to expand poll-pad use beyond standard election day check-in. Newsom said the first paragraph aligns the bill with existing statute and the Supreme Court case that underpinned the original bill; the second paragraph “seeks to expand the use of poll pads for town meetings, deliberative sessions, and business sessions.”

Sarah Pacino, town moderator in Hopkinton, told the committee Hopkinton adopted poll pads in February 2024 and used them successfully for elections. “They have been a great time saver for voters who are checking in…we’re excited this year to institute check-in on poll pads at our annual meeting,” Pacino said, describing long lines at annual meetings when many voters arrive in a short window. She said guidance from the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office had prohibited poll pads at annual meetings, which required local voter-education efforts this year.

Sarah Burke Cohen of the New Hampshire Municipal Association voiced support for poll pads in principle but opposed the amendment as drafted because of incorrect statutory citations. “We support the use of poll books at town and school deliberative and special meetings and business sessions,” Burke Cohen said, “but we can’t support the amendment as written because the citations are incorrect.” She noted a likely scrivener’s error referencing RSA 381 instead of RSA 391 (and suggested RSA 39:1/39:4 and related provisions be used or omitted in favor of plain-language references to town and school meetings).

Committee members discussed several options: instructing the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) to correct citations, explicitly adding school districts to the language, or removing specific section references and instead referring to “town and school district deliberative and business sessions and special meetings” or “special meetings as defined in chapter 39.” Chairman Berry directed Newsom to file the language with OLS for cleanup and said he expected the committee to adopt the cleaned-up amendment before recess.

The committee adopted Representative Newsom’s amendment (amendment 2025-2475h as filed back to the committee) and voted to report SB 43 “ought to pass as amended.” The motion to report SB 43 as amended carried on a committee roll call (chair vote included); the bill was placed on the committee’s consent calendar for further handling.

The amendment and final committee report direct OLS to correct statutory citations and to include school districts in the list of meetings where poll pads may be used. The committee record shows the change was intended as a housekeeping measure to allow municipalities that already use poll pads on election day to use the same devices for town and school meetings in 2026.

The committee did not set an effective date in the discussion recorded, and the transcript includes members’ direction that OLS return corrected language before the committee’s next consideration. The committee placed SB 43 on the consent calendar and assigned Representative James Newsom responsibility for the committee report.

Ending: The committee’s action clears the way for towns and school districts that choose to use poll pads to do so at deliberative sessions and certain meetings once the legislative language is finalized; OLS will supply corrected statutory references and incorporate school-district language before the bill advances.