Avard proposes bill to allow cities and towns, at request of 100 voters, to conduct their own recounts by hand

State Sen. Kevin Avard

State Sen. Kevin Avard —COURTESY PHOTO

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 01-23-2025 11:01 AM

At the request of constituents, Sen. Kevin Avard said, he introduced a bill to make it easier to request a hand count of election ballots.

“I’m sure machines are accurate, but I think everybody just wants to make sure they feel like part of the process,” Avard said at his bill’s hearing in Concord on Tuesday. “I think if people want that ability to just double-check, it’s not a bad idea.”

Avard, a Republican, represents Senate District 12, which includes Greenville, Mason, New Ipswich and Rindge.

Senate Bill 44 would compel local cities and towns to tabulate election results by hand if 100 voters in a specific election request it. There’s no determined vote threshold, so even if the election was decided by a large margin, if 100 people request a recount, the city or town would have to comply. All recounts would have to be finished within 15 days of the election.

Secretary of State David Scanlan opposed the bill, saying that municipalities already have the authority to decide whether they want to use ballot-counting machines or hand-count their election results. He called the bill “problematic” in that it gives authority to cities and towns to conduct their own recounts. New Hampshire’s current law says only the Secretary of State can perform recounts.

“I think that this is not a good idea and that if there is a need for recount, there is plenty of opportunity to request one from the Secretary of State,” Scanlan said.

Antrim resident Linda Bundy also opposed the bill, saying it would cause confusion and delays, and that it’s unclear whether the state or towns would be on the hook for paying for the recount.

“It will place undue burden on election officials and likely make it more difficult to recruit election volunteers,” Bundy said. “Since procedures already exist for requesting recounts and this bill will add delay, work and expense to elections, I ask that you vote ‘inexpedient to legislate’ on SB 44.”

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Scanlan also noted that there aren’t any standards outlined in the bill for how localities should perform those recounts.

“When the Secretary of State conducts a recount, there are uniform procedures in a very controlled environment so that every recount that is conducted is conducted under the same conditions as the one before,” Scanlan said. “There is no such guarantee or standard in this bill.”

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and Concord Monitor in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, subscribe to her Capital Beat newsletter and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.