HB 0677

CHAPTER 142

HB 677 - FINAL VERSION

AN ACT relative to certification and filing of nomination papers.

SPONSORS: Rep. Gilmore, Straf 11; Rep. Alger, Graf 9

This bill requires a political organization to file a declaration of intent to be nominated as political party. This bill permits the city clerk to perform the responsibilities of the supervisors of the checklist for certifying nomination papers. This bill also requires nomination papers to be signed by registered voters and makes certain changes to the procedure for filing nomination papers.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT relative to certification and filing of nomination papers.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

142:1 New Section; Declaration of Intent; Political Organization. Amend RSA 655 by inserting after section 17-b the following new section:

655:17-c Declaration of Intent; Political Organization. Declarations of intent for political organizations shall be in the following form and signed by the chairman of the political organization:

I, ___________________________, chairman of the ________________________ organization hereby declare that the _______________________ organization intends to file nomination papers by the deadline established under RSA 655:43, I. I further declare that the ______________________ organization intends to file the names of candidates for the following offices with the nomination papers.

142:2 Nomination by Nomination Papers; Certification; Delegation to Clerk. Amend RSA 655:41 to read as follows:

I. Each nomination paper shall be submitted to the supervisors of the checklist of the town or ward in which the signer is domiciled or is registered, and a majority of the supervisors shall certify whether or not the signer is a [~~legal~~] registered voter in said town or ward. The supervisors of the checklist shall certify nomination papers under this section in a timely fashion, so that their certification shall be complete for each candidate, together with any objections to the nomination papers submitted, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday 2 weeks before the primary. Each nomination paper shall be submitted to the supervisors of the checklist no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday 5 weeks before the primary.

II. The city clerk may perform the responsibilities of the supervisors of the checklist under this section.

I. It shall require the names of 3,000 [~~legal~~] registered voters, 1,500 from each United States congressional district in the state, to nominate by nomination papers a candidate for president, vice-president, United States senator, or governor.

II. It shall require the names of 1,500 [~~legal~~] registered voters to nominate by nomination papers a candidate for United States representative; 750 to nominate a candidate for councilor or state senator; and 150 to nominate a candidate for state representative or county officer.

III. It shall require the names of [~~legal~~] registered voters equaling 3 percent of the total votes cast at the previous state general election to nominate by nomination papers a political party.

I. Nomination papers shall be filed with the secretary of state no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday one week before the primary. Nomination papers to be filed shall be grouped by municipality. No nomination papers shall be accepted by the secretary of state unless the candidate shall have met the age and domicile qualifications for the office he or she seeks at the time of the general election and meets all the other qualifications at the time of filing; and if a candidate for the office of governor, executive councilor, state senator, or state representative, unless [he] the candidate shall file with the nomination papers an affidavit of qualifications as provided in RSA 655:28 and 655:29; and if a candidate for United States senator or United States representative, unless [he] the candidate shall meet the qualifications for office under RSA 655:3 and 655:4.

II. No candidate who intends to run for any state or federal office in the state general election by means of nomination papers shall have his or her name placed on the ballot unless [he] the candidate files a declaration of intent, as provided in RSA 655:17-a or 655:17-b, within the filing deadline required by RSA 655:14-a.

III. No political organization shall have the names of its candidates placed on the ballot unless the chairman of the organization files a declaration of intent, as provided in RSA 655:17-c, within the filing deadline for candidates established in RSA 655:14-a.

IV. No person who filed as a candidate in the state primary election shall be eligible to have his or her name placed on the ballot for the state general election by submitting nomination papers as provided in this subdivision.