Authorizes a moderator to conduct a hand count of ballots to verify the device count during an election.
relative to the moderator's authority to verify the device count during an election.
I want Moderators to be able to hand count ballots after the election closes to confirm the count matches the voting machine. Windham has had multiple issues with the machines and I have a genuine concern for fair elections. Please support HB 1223
I want Moderators to be able to hand count ballots after the election closes to confirm the count matches the voting machine. Windham has had multiple issues with the machines and I have a genuine concern for fair elections. Please support HB 1223
This bill is dangerously vague. If misinterpreted by overzealous parents or other snitches
Hand counts are less likely to be correct than tabulated counts. People get tired or bored and make errors.
Dear members of the House Election Law Committee, I want to strongly urge you to vote OTP on HB1223, for town moderators to be able to hand count ballots to verify the accuracy of the electronic tabulation device. There have been numerous incidences around the country in the last 10 years or more of questionable election results when ballots have been machine counted. Ballot counting machines have been found to be vulnerable to being connected to external servers, then hacked. While here in New Hampshire, we were reassured under former Governor Sununu that these machines had been tested and many safeguards put in place, the more intersection points you have in the system, between the various layers of these safeguards, the more potential entry points you have for the system to be breached. The safest way to count ballots to avoid fraud and corruption of election results is by hand. While human error can occur, the potential for massive fraud is greater by an expert hacker (who knows how to go undetected into a computerized system), than at a polling place, where there are many eyes observing and checking the process. All the workers are together in one place, and attempts at massive fraud without being caught would be much more difficult, than by a hacker with an off-shore server. So, while we do have ballot-counting machines allowed here in NH, we should at the very least allow verification by a hand-counting of ballots! I thank you in advance for your vote OTP on HB1223! Sincerely, Donna L. Peterson
This bill, if passed, puts health and lives of people of all ages at risk, but especially children. This bill, if passed, will put funding for our childcare system in deeper jeopardy. It is already barely hanging together. I spent a good part of my life working with children and families. Who would want to activate such unconscionable harm to people, to our entire state? Please ITL this bill.
Ensuring public confidence in election outcomes is essential to a healthy democracy. Allowing hand counts as a validation tool can strengthen that confidence by providing a transparent, verifiable method of confirming machine-tabulated results. Hand counting—used selectively for audits, recounts, or verification checks—offers an additional layer of oversight that helps identify potential discrepancies, reinforces the integrity of the process, and reassures voters that every ballot is accounted for. When implemented with clear procedures and bipartisan oversight, hand counts can serve as a practical safeguard that promotes trust, accuracy, and accountability in elections. ---
I am respectfully requesting that you support HB1223, for the following reasons: - This bill provides an immediate, reliable safeguard if tabulators malfunction or produce questionable results on election day. It will enable the moderator to verify outcomes through a hand count so that every valid ballot is accurately counted and no voter is disenfranchised by a machine error. - By ensuring the hand count prevails when discrepancies arise, the legislation guarantees election results reflect the true will of the voters, even in the face of device failure, while preserving transparency and public confidence in the integrity of the final count.
This bill has my full support!
This is really important so we know that our elections are fair and the counts are accurate. Thank you for supporting this bill!
We had 3 recounts in Nashua for our City elections in 2025. 2 of the 3 recounted races came out exact to the tabulator results. The 3rd recount had a 2-vote difference. Tabulators have been proven to be extremely accurate and are more reliable than a hand-count which can have human error. Also, the tabulators are all tested in the public before each election. NH is a continuous State, and all results need to be reported on election night. If all the ballots were hand-counted, election officials would be occupying the schools well into the next day preventing them for reopening the day after the election. Without hand-counting, my last Ward reported to me at 3am for the General election in 2024.
I support this bill it should be legal to hand count ballots especially if there is any suspicion of fraud. We are entitled to fair elections.
Computers are not perfect. Occasional verification makes sense. Blocking the moderator from doing this check does not make sense.
The moderator knows the count at the end of the Election Day and should be able to give an accurate count.
It goes against the interests of citizens to make it hard is even illegal for towns to hand count ballots if the moderators see fit to do so. Elections aren’t for the AG or towns, they're actually not even for the candidates. They are for the citizens
Support this bill!
I was very uncomfortable trusting the new roll out of vote scan machines in Nashua's recent election. I would definitely have more confidence reconciling a hand count to the machine. Although we were able to reconcile tallies of votes at the end of the night, I personally helped many voters who were having trouble because their ballots were being rejected. I admit most of the rejected ballots were due to over-voting or 'coloring' outside the lines. However, I witnessed more than one ballot go through with each of these issues and they were not rejected. At the end of the night it did not change the tallies, however, a hand counted, quality check of the candidates' votes against the machines would eliminate any doubt and give me the assurances I can pass on to voters. These exceptions gave me pause. Please pass this bill.
I oppose this bill that subverts elections and voters' rights.
I oppose this bill that subverts voters' rights.
This bill enables the moderator to conduct a hand count of ballots in order to verify the device count during an election. I oppose this bill. How could a hand count be more accurate than the one currently used?
This bill enables the moderator to conduct a hand count of ballots in order to verify the device count during an election. I oppose this bill. How could a hand count be more accurate than the one currently used?
I oppose this bill which would give the moderator sole discretion to rely on a hand count of a vote rather than any electronic device's tabulation to determine the vote.
I want all of you to stop what you're doing right now and perform a hand count of 5,000 pieces of paper then get back to me with your numbers. When every single one of you gets it right in one try we can talk about letting a hand count take precedence.
I oppose this bill for the sake of NH voters.
Not needed - I OPPOSE HB 1223.