HB 1600 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

relative to access to the centralized voter registration database on election days.

HB 1600 requires New Hampshire's Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to offer voter registration forms to applicants when they apply for or renew a driver's license or non-driver ID card, provided they have already verified age, citizenship, identity, and New Hampshire residency. The bill mandates that DMV staff provide eligibility information and allow applicants to complete the form on-site during these transactions. Completed forms must be sent weekly to the Secretary of State, who forwards them to local election officials for verification and inclusion on voter lists, with deadlines set 3 weeks before elections. This change affects all DMV applicants meeting basic eligibility criteria, streamlining registration during routine license/ID processes without altering voting rights or requirements. The bill requires no new funding but involves minimal administrative costs for processing and transmission.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Governor

Introduced Dec 10, 2025 Last action Apr 23, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Amended by the House → As Amended by the House (2nd) · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify that polling places may have 'direct or indirect' access to the statewide centralized voter registration database on election day, rather than requiring direct electronic access. This gives municipalities more flexibility in how they connect polling places to the database (e.g., through a local intermediary system) while still ensuring voters can be verified at the polls.

Scope change

The scope of who must have access and when remains unchanged, but the technical method of access is broadened from requiring a direct electronic connection to permitting indirect access methods as well.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement from 'direct electronic access' to 'direct or indirect access' for polling places to the statewide centralized voter registration database on election day. This allows towns and cities to use alternative connection methods (such as a local server or relay system) rather than requiring each polling place to have its own direct electronic link to the state database.

Introduced → As Amended by the House · 9 edits

MAJOR

The bill was completely rewritten, changing its subject from requiring the DMV to offer voter registration forms during license applications/renewals to requiring that every polling place have direct electronic access to the statewide centralized voter registration database on election days. The amended version also makes the centralized database mandatory (rather than optional) and requires it to be linked with state vital records and the Department of Safety for verification purposes. This is a fundamental repurposing of the bill, not a minor amendment.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed entirely. It no longer concerns voter registration at the DMV. It now concerns ensuring polling places have electronic access to the centralized voter registration database on election days, making that database mandatory and linked with state records for verification.

SCOPE

The entire original purpose - requiring the DMV to provide voter registration forms at license applications/renewals, collect them, and transmit them weekly to the Secretary of State - was deleted in its entirety.

Requires the Department of State to provide access to data from centralized voter registration records, Department of Safety records, and NH vital records to help voters prove citizenship, age, domicile, and identity at polling places; absence of data does not disqualify a person.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Secretary of State, town, and city clerks to ensure each polling place has direct electronic access to the statewide centralized voter registration database on every state, local, and federal election day during the polling place's operating hours.

Changed RSA 654:45 from authorizing the Secretary of State to build a centralized voter registration database ('is authorized to') to requiring it ('shall'), making the database mandatory rather than optional.

Requires the voter database to be linked with the Department of Safety and state vital records for verification purposes (changed from 'may' to 'shall'), while prohibiting linked agencies from saving or retaining voter information or using it for other purposes.

DEFINITION

Designates the office of the clerk as a database access point for each town or city, and allows the Secretary of State to authorize additional access points including election day access at polling places.

ENFORCEMENT

Adds a duplicate voter detection process: if voters share a place and date of birth with a substantially similar name, the information is forwarded to local supervisors for review, and potential multiple voting is referred to the Attorney General for investigation or prosecution.

FISCAL

The fiscal note was removed entirely. The original estimated $208,000 in FY 2027 and roughly $87,000-$91,000 annually thereafter for staffing, postage, legal work, and DMV training/courier costs no longer applies to the amended bill.

TIMELINE

The original effective date of 6 months after passage was removed; no new effective date is specified in the visible portion of the amendment.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Ought to Pass: MA, VV; OT3rdg; 04/23/2026; SJ 10

upper

Apr 15, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 04/23/2026, Vote 5-0; SC 15

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Introduced

Introduced 03/26/2026 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 7

upper

Mar 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-1097h: MA VV 03/26/2026 HJ 9 P. 2

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Introduced

Amendment # 2026-1097h: AA VV 03/26/2026 HJ 9 P. 2

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1097h 03/17/2026 (Vote 25-0; CC)

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to Finance 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 70

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0626h and 2026-0771h: MA VV 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 70

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Introduced

Amendment # 2026-0626h: AA VV 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 67

lower

Feb 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0626h (NT) 02/10/2026 (Vote 16-0; RC) HC 7 P. 31

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Full Committee Work Session: 02/03/2026 09:00 am GP 158

lower

Dec 10, 2025

Introduced

Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Election Law HJ 1 P. 27

lower

0 primary · 1 co-sponsor