A news round-up from the Town of Henniker, NH |
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Voting is our civic responsibility. It is one of the fundamental tools by which our nation has guaranteed our inalienable rights throughout our history—237 years now. Today we live in a rich, multicultural society. We have representatives in our government who cross race, gender, class, sexual orientation and so on. Millions of citizens from various backgrounds are prospering and thriving in our democratic system. Frankly, we cannot fathom living in a society based in segregation and injustice. It seems like ancient history.
But it is not. Women did not secure their right to vote until 1920. Black people did not possess the right to vote until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. People from different backgrounds fought and died for this inherent right to live equally and as fully vested citizens.
While we look to these moments as signs of progress, the Voting Rights Act is not permanent. It is codified to be renewed periodically. What that means is that those rights could be taken away, depending on the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. In turn, those officials are selected by the President of the United States. He or she appoints these justices. Finally, it's the voters—you and me—who elects the president.
Your vote has determined how Congress acts in our interests, from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010. In fact, according to the Brookings Institution, "Congress passed more than 500 major laws between 1944 and 1999 to improve the quality of life in the nation and world."
In other words, your vote determines who will affect public policy in all three branches of the federal government—executive, legislative, and judicial. For state and local government, the process is the same. In fact, everything you do in society is determined by public policy—where you work, shop, live and go to school.
Three words say it all: Your. Vote. Counts.
What happens when people don't vote? Here is one scenario: You do not believe your vote counts; no matter what, there is corruption and nothing will change. So you abstain from voting on Election Day. Voter turnout is low, which invariably favors the incumbents—the very folks with whom you are not happy. Despite your unhappiness, they are re-elected. The result is that the candidates who could have best represented you do not get into office, and once again you are left despondent about your local government. Ask yourself: In this scenario, how can things get better?
I believe that change can never happen unless we vote. Despite all the challenges we face in this society, despite all of the messiness of democracy that we see on television and read about in the media, this system of government belongs to us. We pay for it. We hire people to make decisions for us, and if we are not satisfied with their performance, every election cycle we can fire them and hire others.
Why would you not participate in this? What do you have to lose?
Joe
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GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 2020 |
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Polling Hours and Voting Location
Voting hours: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Henniker Community School, 51 Western Ave, Henniker, NH
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How to Register to Vote in Henniker, NH
You may register to vote at the town office during regular business hours, 8AM – 4:30PM, Monday through Wednesday and Friday's. Additional registration opportunities are provided periodically by the Supervisors of the Checklist during evening and weekend hours throughout the year. Notice of these registration sessions will be posted at the Town Hall and usually on the town website. The Supervisors of the Checklist shall definitely be in session for this purpose on a day designated by the supervisors 6 to 13 days prior to any election. At that point, registration will be closed until Election Day. In NH, registration is allowed on Election Day at the polls. To register, you will need to provide documents that prove your identity, age, citizenship, and domicile in Henniker.
- Identity can be proved with a photo ID (driver’s license, passport/passcard, military ID, school ID are commonly used).
- Age can be proved using a driver’s license or non-driver ID from any state, a birth certificate or passport/passcard.
- Citizenship can be proved using a birth certificate, US passport/passcard, or naturalization document.
- Domicile can be proved with many things including driver’s license or car registration with local address, mail, rental agreement.
If you do not have proof of any of these things, affidavits may be filled out and signed.
Important Information
- Having the proper documentation and registering before an election saves you time.
- The voter checklist closes approximately 10 days prior to any election. This means no registrations or changes can be accepted until Election Day, at which time you may register in person at the polls. Check with the Town Clerk's Office for exact date and time.
- Once the filing period for any primary opens, no party changes can be accepted until after that primary election. For a state primary the filing period runs from the first Wednesday in June until after the state primary election in September. Because of New Hampshire’s unique first-in-the-nation primary status, the filing period for the presidential primary fluctuates depending on the date set by New Hampshire’s Secretary of State. Generally, the filing period opens late in October with the election being held early in February.
- Once you are registered, your name remains on the Henniker checklist for all town, state, federal and school district elections. Only a photo I.D. is needed for voting once registered. If you move to another New Hampshire town, you must register to vote there. If you are a student attending NEC and residing in Henniker, in a dorm or in an apartment or house in Henniker, you may vote in Henniker or you may choose to vote where your parents live.
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New Hampshire election laws change rather frequently. For further information about voter registration requirements, election dates, and registration deadlines, visit the NH Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.nh.gov.
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Absentee Ballot Applications (COVID-19)
Absentee ballots are available for all elections if you are going to be absent from Henniker during polling hours (7:00 am – 7:00 pm), are physically disabled or are observing a religious holiday. Absentee ballot requests may be made in person, by mail, scanned and e-mailed or faxed. The request must include the voter’s signature, their resident address and an address to mail the ballot if different from the residence. If requesting an absentee ballot for a primary and you are undeclared, you will need to choose a party.
Absentee ballots may also be picked up in person at the Town Clerk’s office up to the day prior to the election. Ballots must be given to the voter in person or mailed directly to the voter. The ballot may be returned by mail or in person by the actual voter or by a spouse, parent, sibling or child. An Absentee Ballot Return Form must be completed if the ballot is returned by anyone other than the voter. Ballots returned in person will be accepted until 5:00 pm the day prior to the election. Ballots delivered by mail shall be accepted until 5:00 pm on Election Day.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REFERENCE ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Q. What do I need to bring to register to vote?
A. You will need to bring proof of identity, age, residency and citizenship. examples: a driver/non-driver ID for identity and age, a bill, bank statement, or lease for residency and a birth certificate or passport for citizenship.
Q. What if I don’t have all the proofs necessary?
A. It is always best to bring actual documentation but Affidavit Forms are available for you to sign.
Q. What is my ward number?
A. Henniker does not have wards, you may leave this blank or mark it with “X”.
Q. I already sent in an old form do I need to fill out a new form?
A. No, both forms are acceptable.
Q. Where do I get the absentee request form?
A. They are available at the Town Clerk’s Office or on our website www.henniker.org under Town Clerk/voter information.
Q. Is there a deadline to request an absentee ballot?
A. There is no set deadline to request an absentee ballot; however, you need to allow enough time for our staff to receive the request, for us to send the allot to you and for you to get it back to us to be processed.
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Supervisor of the Checklist
DUTIES OF THE SUPERVISORS
Determine if an applicant is legally qualified to vote, and; Update the Checklist of registered voters, which includes:
- entering newly registered voters
- making name changes and corrections
- making address changes and corrections
- removing voters no longer eligible to vote in Henniker
- changing party affiliations as the law permits
DETERMINE QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTING APPLICANTS
When determining the qualifications of an applicant, the Supervisors of the Checklist shall require the applicant to present proof of identity, citizenship, age, and domicile. (RSA 654:12)
- IDENTITY: A driver’s license or non-driver ID from any state satisfies proof of identity and age.
- CITIZENSHIP: The following will be accepted as proof of Citizenship: birth certificate, a passport, and naturalization papers if the applicant is a naturalized citizen, or any other reasonable documentation which indicates the applicant is a U.S. citizen. Note: A New Hampshire Real ID compliant driver's license is NOT proof of U.S. Citizenship. If documentation is not available, a Qualified Affidavit will be completed and sworn to in the presence of an authorized election official.
- AGE: Any reasonable documentation indicating the applicant is 18 years of age or older. If documentation is not available, a Qualified Affidavit will be completed and sworn to in the presence of an authorized election official.
- DOMICILE: Any one of the following documents can be submitted as presumptive evidence that the applicant meets the domicile requirement: New Hampshire driver’s license, New Hampshire vehicle registration, Armed services ID or other photo ID issued by the U.S. government, a utility bill with current address. If documentation is not available, a Qualified Affidavit will be completed and sworn to in the presence of an authorized election official.
ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION
The Supervisors of the Checklist are present at the polls on Election Day at which time qualified Henniker residents may register to vote, change name, change address and/or party affiliation. A person who registers to vote on election day will be required to complete the application for voter registration form and shall be required to produce appropriate proof of qualifications as provided in RSA 654:12.
CHECKLIST MAINTENANCE
The Supervisors of the Checklist will make all necessary changes to the town's voting checklist. Approval of all changes will be made during posted public sessions. These sessions will be posted at the Henniker Town Office Building and on the Town Clerk's Website. State mandated sessions will be posted at the Henniker Town Office and published in a newspaper of general circulation in the town.
The Supervisor of the Checklist will be in session on the following dates:
October 8, 2020 from 2pm - 4pm
October 15, 2020 from 2pm -4pm
October 22, 2020 from 2pm - 4pm
October 28, 2020 from 7pm - 8pm
The Town Clerk’s Office wants residents to know that Wednesday, October 28, 2020 is the last day residents may pre-register to vote prior to the State General Election to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Town Clerk’s Office will be open until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28 and the Supervisor of the Checklist will be in session from 7pm - 8pm that evening.
Residents will have the opportunity to register to vote at the polls on Election Day if they are unable to get into the Clerk’s office on or before October 28.
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Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth president of the United States.
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College Student? Can you vote in Henniker?
YES but there are things you need to know first!
To be eligible to register and vote in New Hampshire a person must be:
- 18 years of age or older on election day;
- A United States citizen; and
- Domiciled1[1] in the town or ward where the person seeks to vote.
- To register, you will need to provide proof of your identity, age, citizenship, and domicile. Proof can be either by documents or if you do not have documents with you, by affidavit. Documents may be presented in paper or electronic form.
- A driver’s license or non-driver ID from any state satisfies proof of identity and age.
- A birth certificate, U.S. Passport/Passcard, or naturalization document satisfies proof of citizenship.
Note: A New Hampshire Real ID compliant driver's license is NOT proof of U.S. Citizenship. If you do not have these, you can prove your identity, age, and/or citizenship, by signing a Qualified Voter Affidavit, under oath, in front of an election official.
You will also need to prove that you are domiciled in the town where you intend to vote. Proof can be either by documents or if you do not have documents with you, by affidavit. The law requires a document that “manifests an intent to maintain a single continuous presence for domestic, social, and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government.” RSA 654:1
There are many types of documents that will satisfy this requirement. A court order has enjoined enforcement of statutes that list examples of satisfactory documents. However, the documents listed in those statutes were recognized by election officials prior to the adoption of Senate Bill 3. The following documents are examples of satisfactory proof of domicile:
- A New Hampshire driver’s license or non-driver ID showing your current domicile address;
- A document from the school that you attend, showing that you live in campus housing. A document issued by the school that has your name and the address where you live satisfies the requirement. Many colleges and universities provide students with satisfactory documents already. Students may also use a smart phone or other electronic device to show the election official a page from the college or university’s official student electronic records website, which lists the student’s dorm assignment or off-campus residence address. Some universities have established an on-line web page resource specifically for this purpose. Consult your school officials if you are unsure how to find and display this information from your school’s system.
- A note signed by a school official, including a Resident Assistant or other person with supervisory responsibility for your dorm, satisfies the requirement under RSA 654:1, I-a.
- A rental agreement, lease, or similar document that shows your name and the address of your domicile. The document must show that you are domiciled at the address on Election Day.
- A document showing that you own the place you are domiciled at, such as a deed, property tax bill, or other similar document that has your name and address.
- A New Hampshire resident motor vehicle registration, driver’s license, or non-driver photo ID showing your domicile address.
- A voter photo ID issued by the NH Division of Motor Vehicles at no cost to you.
- To obtain a photo ID card that can only be used for voting purposes, ask your town or city clerk or the Secretary of State’s office for a voucher and present it to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
- Information on the documents you will need to present to the DMV is available here: https://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/forms/documents/dsmv634b.pdf
- A document showing that you enrolled a dependent minor child in a public school that serves the town or ward of your domicile.
- Any state or federal tax form, other government form, or government issued identification that shows your name and your domicile address.
- Any form from the US Post Office showing your name and the physical address where you are domiciled (not a P.O. Box). The confirmation you received by e-mail or US mail when you reported your new address to the Post Office satisfies the requirement.
- A public utility bill, such as such as an electric, telephone, water, gas, or other utility bill, with your name and domicile address on it.
- A note from a homeless shelter or other service provider located in the town or ward where you will vote that confirms they will receive US mail sent to you at that address.
- You may also use any other document that shows manifestation of your intent to make the place you claim your voting domicile.
If you do not have any document proving your domicile, you can prove domicile by signing a Domicile Affidavit.
If you have documents to establish your qualifications, please bring them when you register. If you do not have documents or forget to bring them:
• YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE;
• YOU WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE; and
• YOU WILL USE A REGULAR ELECTION DAY BALLOT THAT IS COUNTED ON ELECTION DAY
If you have any questions about the process of registering to vote, do not hesitate to ask at the Town Clerk’s Office or the supervisors of the checklist at the polls on Election Day. Your local election officials are there to help you.
More Detailed Information regarding Registering to Vote
What is “domicile”?
“The fundamental idea of domicile is home.” Felker v. Henderson, 78 N.H. 509, 511 (1917).
“An inhabitant's domicile for voting purposes is that one place where a person, more than any other place, has established a physical presence and manifests an intent to maintain a single continuous presence for domestic, social, and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government. A person has the right to change domicile at any time, however a mere intention to change domicile in the future does not, of itself, terminate an established domicile before the person actually moves.” RSA 654:1, I.
“A student of any institution of learning may lawfully claim domicile for voting purposes in the New Hampshire town or city in which he or she lives while attending such institution of learning if such student's claim of domicile otherwise meets the requirements of RSA 654:1, I.” RSA 654:1, I-a.
“A voter can have only one domicile for voting purposes.” RSA 654:2, I.
“RSA 654:1, I, like common law domicile, requires physical presence and the intent to make one’s place of physical presence one’s home (that “one place where a person, more than any other place, has established a physical presence and manifests an intent to maintain a single, continuous presence for domestic, social, and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government”).” Casey v. N.H. Secy. of State, __ N.H. __, slip op. at 6 (May 20, 2020).
Under New Hampshire law, the terms “domicile” and “residence” are equivalent. Thus, by establishing your domicile in New Hampshire, you may also trigger certain other state law residency obligations, including the obligation to obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license and/or motor vehicle registration. For more information on this, please visit https://sos.nh.gov/elections/information/faqs/voter-registration-motor-vehicle-law/
SO this means if you are not ready to take the steps to be a resident in Henniker you can still vote in your home state. You can even vote absentee in your home state. Below are the links to the Secretary of States with information on voting in several surrounding states.
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Why Should I Vote?
Make your voice heard … Every Vote Counts!
The Importance of Voting Voting
Voting. A word defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “an expression of opinion or preference.” A concept well known by all Americans, as it should, considering our many things about this country are decided by elections. It is one of the most important rights and responsibilities that U.S. citizens have. About 150 million American citizens are qualified to vote. Unfortunately, many don’t. They give up on a chance to choose leaders and representatives who will do things that are important to them.
Why Vote?
Nobody can force a citizen to vote. But many citizens do vote, because voting lets them tell the government what they want it to do. If citizens think they’re paying too many taxes, they can vote for a person who promises to lower taxes. If citizens want more services, they can vote for someone who will promise to spend funds to gain more services.
Every Vote Counts
It’s also important for citizens to know how to mark the ballots they’ll be using when they vote, so that their votes will be counted. Why is that so important? Because every vote counts! An election might be decided by a single vote and history would be changed because a person got…or lost…that one vote!
Here are a couple of important events in U.S. history that were decided by just a few votes:
- Richard Nixon, not John F. Kennedy, would have become President of the U.S. in 1960 if one person from each voting place had voted differently. If just one U.S. Senator had voted differently.
- Texas might not have become part of the United States in 1845 if one U.S. Senator had voted differently. The vote in the U.S. Senate was 27-25 to invite Texas to become a state. If it had been a tie, Texas would not have been asked to become part of the Union.
You Can Make a Difference! Here’s how…
- Play a role in choosing our leaders and changing our laws by voting.
- If you’re 18 or older, vote in every federal, state, and local election.
- Learn about the candidates and issues before you vote in any election.
- Know what’s going on in your country and community.
- Write letters to public officials about issues that are important to you.
- Remind everyone 18 and older to vote.
- Respect your right to vote! It’s a privilege that many people in the world don’t have.
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In Closing
The right to vote and participate in governance is one of the most cherished rights in America. You may have heard people claim that voting is the cornerstone of our democracy or, perhaps that if you don’t vote you don’t have the right to complain. While you actually do have the right to complain whether or not you voted, I do think that voting is an important responsibility of citizenship. It is not a requirement, but it should be considered an obligation.
Voting for a particular candidate or piece of legislation is important, but participating supports the bigger idea as a whole, which is that the will of the people is a driving factor in the success of our country. And it supports the concept of a peaceful and consistent transition of power. Do you realize what an amazing accomplishment that is? Every four years since the Civil War, we check ourselves. We take away power and consider giving it to someone new. We limit our own authority by cycling through public servants because we know that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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Joe
Joseph R. Devine, Jr - Town Administrator
Town of Henniker
a: 18 Depot Hill Rd., Henniker, NH 03242 USA
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