Qualified voters who plan to vote by absentee ballot should request their ballot from their local clerk as soon as possible.

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan announces that all absentee ballots for the September 8, 2026, State Primary Election have been mailed to every city and town clerk’s office in New Hampshire. Voters who are qualified to vote absentee can request an absentee ballot from their local clerk.

New Hampshire’s State Constitution permits absentee voting for voters who are prevented from voting in person because of temporary absence or a physical disability. A full list of permissible reasons to vote by absentee ballot can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.nh.gov/elections/absentee-ballots.

How to Apply for an Absentee Ballot

To request an absentee ballot, voters must return their completed absentee ballot application to their town/city clerk and prove their identity by either showing a qualifying photo ID when hand-delivering their application, enclosing a photocopy of that ID when mailing their application, or notarizing their application.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot before the State Primary is September 7 at 12:00 p.m. by mail or by 5:00 p.m. in person. The Secretary of State’s Office recommends that voters who rely on receiving and returning their absentee ballots by mail request their ballots at least two weeks before Election Day.

Absentee voters who are returning their ballots in person must return their ballots to their local clerks by September 7 at 5:00 p.m. Absentee ballots delivered through the mail or by the voter’s delivery agent must be received by the voter’s local clerk by 5:00 p.m. on September 8.

How to Track an Absentee Ballot

Voters can track their absentee ballot requests and absentee ballots using the Secretary of State’s Voter Information Lookup at app.sos.nh.gov.

All New Hampshire voters, whether they are voting by absentee or in person, should use the Voter Information Lookup to check their voter registration and polling location and hours.