New Hampshire 2026 elections

Contests on the board in New Hampshire

The general-election contests the Ledger tracks in New Hampshire, each with the raters' current call, the newest public polling and the money reported.

Candidate profiles from New Hampshire

NH-SEN · New Hampshire

John E. Sununu

Former U.S. senator and three-term congressman from New Hampshire; Republican nominee for the open Senate seat against Democrat Chris Pappas on November 3.

Read John E. Sununu's recordThe race

Key dates and deadlines

Read from the New Hampshire Secretary of State on Sep 17, 2026. The authority's own page, linked beside each date, is the final word — confirm it before you act.

• Election Day registrationAvailable. On Election Day, November 3, 2026, a person who is domiciled in a New Hampshire town or city ward, will be 18 years of age or older on election day and is a United States citizen may register to vote at the polling location for that town or city ward: complete a Voter Registration Form and show proof of identity, age, citizenship and domicile. Under state law (RSA 654:7-a), a person who is waiting to register at the polling place at the time scheduled for the closing of the polls is allowed to vote if found qualified. sos.nh.gov
• Absentee ballot request deadlineThe Secretary of State's absentee page does not print a last day to apply. State law (RSA 657:15, last amended effective September 8, 2026) says the clerk mails absentee ballots for verified requests received by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the day before the election, which is November 2, 2026, and provides an absentee ballot to any voter who asks in person at the clerk's office up until 5:00 p.m. on that day. A ballot requested that late must still reach the clerk by the return deadline. gc.nh.gov
• Absentee ballot return deadline (received by the clerk)By mail: your completed absentee ballot must reach your local clerk by 5:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026; state law (RSA 657:17) says ballots delivered through the mail must be received by the clerk by that time, so this is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline. In person: the voter must return it to the clerk by 5:00 p.m. the day before the election, November 2, 2026. State law also allows a voter's delivery agent (a close family member listed in the law, a nursing home or residential care facility administrator or designee, or a person assisting a blind voter or a voter with a disability) to deliver the ballot until 5:00 p.m. on Election Day; the agent completes a form and shows government-issued photo identification or has his or her identity verified by the clerk. sos.nh.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — state general election. State law (RSA 653:7) sets the state general election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year. gc.nh.gov
• Poll hoursHours differ by town and city ward on Election Day, November 3, 2026. State law (RSA 659:4) says that at all state elections the polls open not later than 11 o'clock in the morning and close not earlier than 7 o'clock in the evening; in cities, the city council sets the polling hours. Ask your town or city clerk for the opening and closing times of your polling place. A person who is waiting to register at the polling place at the scheduled closing time is still allowed to vote if found qualified (RSA 654:7-a). gc.nh.gov

Official voting tools

These links go to the state's own tools. The Ledger does not collect registrations or ballots.

Rules to know

• What to bring

  A voter whose name is on the checklist is asked to show photo identification before receiving a ballot. State law (RSA 659:13, last amended effective September 8, 2026) accepts only these forms of identification bearing the voter's photograph: a driver's license issued by any state or the federal government; a New Hampshire identification card issued under RSA 260:21, 260:21-a or 260:21-b, or a nondriver's identification card issued by the motor vehicle agency of any other state; a United States armed services identification card; or a United States passport or passcard. The identification must show the voter's name, substantially conforming to the name in the voter registration record, and its expiration date must not have been exceeded by more than 5 years, except that a voter 65 years of age or older may use an otherwise qualified identification without regard to its expiration date. A voter who does not have a valid photo identification is sent to the supervisor of the checklist; a moderator, clerk, supervisor or selectman who personally knows the voter may verify the voter's identity. If the supervisor decides that the voter's qualifications and identity have not been established, the voter is not allowed to vote and may appeal immediately to the superior court. A person who registers at the polling place must also show proof of identity, age, citizenship and domicile. Read from: gc.nh.gov

• Registering to vote

  New Hampshire inhabitants who will be 18 years of age or older on the day of the next election and are United States citizens may register; the Secretary of State says there is no minimum period of time you must have lived in the state. There are two ways: register at your town hall before the deadline, or register at the polling place on the day of the election. Either way you complete a Voter Registration form and show proof of identity, age, citizenship and domicile. State law (RSA 654:12) lists a birth certificate, a passport and naturalization papers among the accepted proofs of citizenship. Before an election the town or city clerk stops accepting applications after the last meeting of the supervisors of the checklist, which state law (RSA 654:27) sets on a day chosen by the supervisors 6 to 13 days before the election, so the last day differs by town: ask your town or city clerk. Voters who cannot register in person because of absence, or of a disability or illness, can use the absentee voter registration affidavits described on the Secretary of State's absentee page. Read from: sos.nh.gov

• Voting absentee (by mail)

  In New Hampshire, voting by mail means absentee voting, and it is limited: the Secretary of State says voters may vote by absentee ballot for specific reasons. You can vote absentee if you are unable to vote in person because you will be out of town on election day; you have a religious observance; you have a physical disability or illness; you have an employment commitment or must care for an adult or child during the entire time polls are open; you are confined in a penal institution for a misdemeanor conviction or while awaiting trial; you are in the Attorney General's Address Confidentiality Program or are protected by a Domestic Violence Protective Order; or the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm, blizzard or ice storm warning for your town or ward for election day and you have concerns about traveling safely. To ask for a ballot, complete an Absentee Ballot Application and return it to your local clerk. State law (RSA 657:17-c, effective September 30, 2025) requires every applicant to verify identity in one of three ways: include a copy of a qualifying photo identification with the application, have the signature on the application form notarized, or show a qualifying photo identification in person to the town or city clerk before the ballot is issued. Military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters and voters with a print disability have separate application options listed on the same page. Read from: sos.nh.gov

• Early voting

  The Secretary of State's voter pages describe two ways to vote in a state election: at the polling place on Election Day, or by absentee ballot for voters who qualify for one of the listed reasons. They mention no early in-person voting period, so this guide gives no early-voting dates for New Hampshire. A voter who qualifies to vote absentee may request and return an absentee ballot in person at the town or city clerk's office up until 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election (RSA 657:15 and the Secretary of State's absentee deadlines). Read from: sos.nh.gov

• Track your absentee ballot

  After you apply for an absentee ballot, the Secretary of State's Voter Information Lookup shows whether your clerk has received your request, when the absentee ballot was sent to you, and when your clerk received your completed ballot. State law (RSA 657:26) requires this public website for every state election and says it also shows whether an absentee ballot was challenged and rejected by the moderator on election day, including the reason. The Secretary of State's home page has a box titled Voter Information Lookup. Read from: sos.nh.gov

• Accessible absentee voting

  The Secretary of State's absentee page says that a voter with a print disability may apply for an Accessible Electronic Absentee Ballot. State law (RSA 657:17) also allows a person to assist a blind voter or a voter with a disability with an absentee ballot; the assistant signs a statement on the affidavit envelope acknowledging the assistance. Read from: sos.nh.gov

On the statewide ballot

Offices on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot, per the New Hampshire Secretary of State:

U.S. Senate · Governor

Questions and answers