Bill > HB67

This bill directs cities, towns, and school districts using official ballot systems to ensure accessibility for voters with disabilities by mandating at least one accessible voting system (AVS) at each polling place. Cities and town clerks must enter into agreements with the secretary of state to use state-provided accessible voting systems, storing and maintaining them securely according to state guidance. The bill also requires local jurisdictions to bear the programming costs for their elections while the secretary of state will cover programming costs for state and federal elections. The secretary of state is responsible for providing guidance on uploading programmed files, ensuring election security, and entering into agreements with local clerks to facilitate AVS use. Notably, the bill extends and makes permanent a previous pilot program for sharing accessible voting systems, with an implementation date of January 1, 2026. The fiscal note indicates potential costs of $1-1.5 million for system replacement, with ongoing annual maintenance fees of $75,000-$250,000, and local jurisdictions may incur programming fees of $600-$2,400 depending on the number of elections and ballot complexity.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_docket.aspx?lsr=0051&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025&txtbillnumber=HB67