Town Meeting 2023: Seacoast towns offer Monday absentee ballot voting ahead of storm
Due to an expected winter storm, greater Seacoast New Hampshire communities were welcoming residents to cast absentee ballots Monday, a day before the Tuesday, March 14 Town Meeting elections.
The early voting, held during the town clerk's regular office hours, is allowed for all voters when there has been a warning issued by the National Weather Service, according to the New Hampshire secretary of state.
Rye was holding absentee ballot voting Monday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday's voting in Rye is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Rye Elementary School.
Barrington, too, was offering absentee voting Monday until 5 p.m., but postponed its election until Tuesday, March 28.
Newington's absentee voting Monday was running noon-5 p.m.
Officials from Exeter, Stratham, Seabrook and Hampton also confirmed absentee voting was being offered Monday during regular business hours, ahead of Tuesday's election.
Town Meeting election information
Most Seacoast towns appear poised to proceed with elections Tuesday. Barrington, Durham, South Hampton are exceptions.
The New Hampshire secretary of state announced towns, by state law, may postpone elections if the town moderator "reasonably believes the roads to be hazardous or unsafe" such as during a storm, or if another disaster makes conditions unsafe.
More on storm:How much snow will nor'easter bring to Seacoast NH, Maine? Here's what we know
The secretary of state was keeping a running list of towns that have posted elections near the top of its website homepage Monday. Barrington announced the town would postpone its election as well, rescheduling it for 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28. Durham, Lee and Madbury made the same decision to postpone until March 28. Durham has no contested races on its ballot. South Hampton, which is part of the Winnacunnet school district, is also moving its election to March 28.
Ron St. Jean, the Barrington town and school moderator, announced the decision to postpone the town election until March 28 was made "for the safety of Barrington voters and poll workers" in the storm. Voters who will be unable to attend in person on March 28 may request an absentee ballot from the town clerk until March 27 with the usual absentee ballot rules in effect.
Exeter Deputy Town Clerk Sonya Littlefield and Seabrook Deputy Town Clerk Shayna Merrill said they are not planning to postpone the regular election on Tuesday. Stratham Town Clerk Deborah Bakie, and Hampton Town Clerk Shirley Doheny both said Monday morning there had been no talk of postponing at that time. Newington officials said the town's election will be held Tuesday. North Hampton officials, too, said the election will be held as scheduled.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Town Meeting 2023 Seacoast NH towns offer absentee voting before storm
