How should voters send back their completed absentee ballots?
- Hanover voters are encouraged to drop their completed absentee ballots off in the Town Hall drop-box (located directly to the left of the main front entrance of Town Hall at 41 South Main Street). The drop-box is secure: the Town Clerk’s office has the only key to the receptacle, and the building is monitored by 24-7 security cameras.
- Drop them in the mail with adequate postage ($0.55) at least a week before Election Day. Our local 03755 post office has been a great partner and is working hard to move quickly on all official election mail, allowing for several day delivery helps you, our office and the USPS.
- You can walk your completed absentee ballot with adequate postage up to the Hanover 03755 USPS service counter and ask them to put it directly into our postal box #483. By hand delivering your ballot to the postal counter staff, it will not be routed to the WRJ distribution center to be returned back to our Hanover PO box (saving effort and time all around).
What is important to remember when assembling my ballot in the envelopes?
- Once you put your cast ballot inside, SIGN THE AFFIDAVIT ENVELOPE (the one with all the writing). Your ballot will not be counted if the affidavit envelope is not signed. Ideally, your signature will be affixed to the particular affidavit (temporarily away or handicapped/COVID-19) that matches your absentee ballot request form. However, no ballot will be disqualified for signing the “wrong side” or for signing both sides.
- Put your ballot sealed within the signed affidavit envelope into the outer envelope provided to you already addressed to the Hanover Town Clerk. The return address on this envelope provides the critical information of your name and voting address (so that we can match it with your absentee ballot request form).
When must they be returned?
- All absentee ballots must be received by the Town Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on Election Day.
- “Received by the Town Clerk” shall mean:
- Delivered to PO Box 483, Hanover NH 03755 by this time
- Delivered to the Town Hall drop box by this time
- Delivered to the staffed tent located outside of the polling place by this time – for the 9/8/2020 NH State Primary this will be outside Leverone Field House
Want us to address another topic? Submit your question(s) by emailing the Town Clerk.