//Run for office · New Hampshire

How to run for local office in New Hampshire

New Hampshire town elections happen on the second Tuesday in March, the filing window is a ten-day stretch in late January, and town candidates file no campaign finance reports with the state at all.

Facts checked against official sources · September 9, 2026

New Hampshire local government runs through towns, with town meeting (traditional or the SB 2 ballot form) as the legislative body and a select board as the executive. Cities operate under charters. Counties exist and elect commissioners, sheriffs, and registers, but those are state-election offices chosen in November of even years. For a select board, school board, or budget committee candidate, the whole process lives at the town clerk's office: you file a declaration of candidacy there, the supervisors of the checklist sell you the voter list there, and the clerk hands out absentee ballots there.

Three quirks shape a New Hampshire local campaign. The statewide voter list from the Secretary of State is reserved for parties, political committees, and candidates for county, state, or federal office, so a town candidate buys the town checklist from the supervisors instead. The state campaign finance law, RSA 664, does not apply to town, city, school district, or village district elections except for its political advertising rules. And there is no early voting: absentee ballots require a reason, and most of the vote is cast on election day, where same-day registration is available.

Election authority: New Hampshire Secretary of State, Elections Division
Voter file: Public record — anyone can obtain it · Town checklist: $25 per paper copy; electronic copies are free for one request per election, then up to $25; checklists over 2,500 names cost $25 plus $0.50 per thousand names above 2,500 plus shipping (RSA 654:31, II). Statewide list from the Secretary of State: $25 plus $0.50 per thousand names above 2,500 plus shipping, plus the local supervisors' fees (RSA 654:31, IV), checked 2026-09-09
Campaign finance: Campaign Finance System (cfs.sos.nh.gov), for state and county candidates only (New Hampshire Secretary of State (Campaign Finance System))
How voters vote: In person, with excuse-required absentee voting
Registration deadline: Register with the town clerk or at a supervisors of the checklist session; the supervisors hold a final correction session 6 to 13 days before the election (RSA 654:27), and anyone who misses it can register at the polls on election day with proof of qualifications (RSA 654:7-a)
Local offices: Nonpartisan. Town and school district ballots carry no party labels (RSA 669:19, nonpartisan ballot system). County offices on the November ballot are partisan.

Who runs elections in New Hampshire

New Hampshire Secretary of State, Elections Division The Secretary of State administers state elections, publishes the election law and candidate guidance, maintains the statewide centralized voter registration database, and runs the Campaign Finance System for state and county candidates. Town and school district candidates do not file with the Secretary of State; the town clerk takes their declarations and the local supervisors of the checklist handle the voter list.

Each town and city has elected supervisors of the checklist who register voters and maintain the checklist, a town or city clerk who accepts candidate filings and issues absentee ballots, and a moderator who runs the polls. School districts and village districts hold their own elections, often on the same day and at the same polling place as the town election, with the school district clerk taking those filings.

Getting the New Hampshire voter file

The voter file is the list of every registered voter, with the fields a campaign needs to target: address, party where the state records it, and vote history. In New Hampshire it comes from Supervisors of the checklist or town or city clerk (town public checklist); Secretary of State (statewide list, restricted requesters).

Access: Public record — anyone can obtain it
Cost: Town checklist: $25 per paper copy; electronic copies are free for one request per election, then up to $25; checklists over 2,500 names cost $25 plus $0.50 per thousand names above 2,500 plus shipping (RSA 654:31, II). Statewide list from the Secretary of State: $25 plus $0.50 per thousand names above 2,500 plus shipping, plus the local supervisors' fees (RSA 654:31, IV), checked 2026-09-09
Format: Electronic copy in a sortable format such as a spreadsheet, sent by email, or paper (RSA 654:31, II)
Vote history: Not included
Phone numbers: Not included
Updated: The supervisors correct the checklist at sessions before each election, including a final session held 6 to 13 days before election day (RSA 654:27); ask for your copy after that session for the freshest list.

Who can get it: Anyone may obtain a paper or electronic copy of a town's or city's public checklist from the supervisors of the checklist or the clerk (RSA 654:31, II). The statewide list from the Secretary of State goes only to political parties, political committees, and candidates for county, state, or federal office (RSA 654:31, IV), so a town candidate uses the town checklist.

Permitted use: No commercial use: checklist information may not be used or sold to offer property or services unrelated to an election or political campaign (RSA 654:31); violations are a misdemeanor for individuals and a felony for other persons.

County option: There is no county file. The town public checklist is the file for a town, school district, or village district race. The statewide list with two years of voter history is available only to parties, political committees, and county, state, or federal candidates.

The public checklist carries each voter's full name, domicile address, mailing address, and party affiliation (RSA 654:25). Voter history (whether a person voted, and in which party's primary, for the past two years) is included only in the Secretary of State's list under RSA 654:31, IV.
Phone numbers and email addresses given at registration are exempt from public disclosure (RSA 654:31-a).
Voters with a protective order are kept on a nonpublic list and do not appear on the copy you buy.

Whatever file you get, Culper imports it as a CSV and maps the columns for you. See how to read a voter file for what the fields mean.

Filing to run for local office in New Hampshire

In a town that uses the official (nonpartisan) ballot system, you get on the ballot by filing a declaration of candidacy with the town clerk during a single filing period: it opens on the seventh Wednesday before the town election and closes on the Friday of the following week (RSA 669:19). Anyone filing on the last day must do so in person. The declaration states that you are domiciled in the town, are a registered voter there, and want your name printed on the nonpartisan ballot for the named office. Traditional town meeting towns that do not use the official ballot elect officers from the floor at the meeting.

File with: Town clerk (town offices); school district clerk (school board); village district clerk (village district offices)
Filing fee: Confirm with the filing officer
Petition: No petition is required in a nonpartisan official-ballot town; the declaration of candidacy filed with the town clerk during the filing period puts you on the ballot (RSA 669:19).
Partisan?: Nonpartisan. Town and school district ballots carry no party labels (RSA 669:19, nonpartisan ballot system). County offices on the November ballot are partisan.

Filing window: Town elections are held on the second Tuesday in March (RSA 669:1), and the filing period runs from the seventh Wednesday before the election through the Friday of the following week (RSA 669:19). For March 9, 2027 that is Wednesday January 20 through Friday January 29, 2027. Towns that moved their election to the second Tuesday in May under RSA 40:14 or 31:94-a use the same seven-Wednesday offset from May 11, 2027. Charter towns may vote in March, May, or November of odd years.

Key New Hampshire dates
What	When	Note
Filing period opens, March 2027 town and school district elections	January 20, 2027	Seventh Wednesday before the March 9, 2027 election (RSA 669:19). File a declaration of candidacy with the town clerk (or school district clerk).
Filing period closes, March 2027 town elections	January 29, 2027	Friday of the week after the opening; last-day filings must be made in person before the clerk, whose office must be open at least 3 to 5 p.m. (RSA 669:19).
Town election (second Tuesday in March)	March 9, 2027	RSA 669:1. SB 2 towns hold the deliberative session earlier and vote on the same day.
Filing period, towns that elect in May	March 24, 2027	For a May 11, 2027 election: opens Wednesday March 24 and closes Friday April 2, 2027, by the same RSA 669:19 offset. Confirm the date with your town clerk.

Traditional town meeting towns that have not adopted the official ballot nominate and elect officers from the floor at the annual meeting, so there may be nothing to file; ask the clerk which system your town uses.

Campaign finance rules in New Hampshire

State-level campaign finance in New Hampshire is overseen by New Hampshire Secretary of State (Campaign Finance System) through Campaign Finance System (cfs.sos.nh.gov), for state and county candidates only.

Where local candidates file: There is no state campaign finance filing for town, city, school district, or village district candidates. RSA 664:1 applies the chapter to state primary, general, and special elections; for city, town, school district, and village district elections only the political advertising, push polling, and enforcement sections (RSA 664:14 through 664:22) apply, and starting January 1, 2027 also the definitions in 664:2, the foreign-national ban in 664:4, VII, and 664:5, III. Some cities require local disclosure under their charters or ordinances, so ask the city clerk. County candidates (commissioner, sheriff, register of deeds, and so on) are state-election candidates who file with the Secretary of State through the Campaign Finance System.

Contribution limits: State limits in RSA 664:4 apply to state election cycles, not to town races: an individual or corporation may give a candidate or candidate committee up to $15,000 per election cycle and any other political committee or party up to $30,000, while candidates and political committees may give unlimited amounts. Partnerships and labor unions may not contribute directly, and anonymous or disguised contributions are banned. For a town or school district race there is no state contribution limit; check your city's charter for any local rule.

Reporting: None at the state level for town, city, school district, or village district candidates (RSA 664:1). County and state candidates report on the RSA 664:6 schedule through the Campaign Finance System.

Political advertising rules still apply to local races: RSA 664:14 through 664:22 govern the required identification on signs, mailers, and online ads, and push polling.

Limits and thresholds change. Treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm the current schedule with New Hampshire Secretary of State (Campaign Finance System) before you accept a check. Our campaign finance basics guide covers the bookkeeping every local candidate needs on day one.

How voting works in New Hampshire

In person, with excuse-required absentee voting. New Hampshire has no early voting. Voters vote in person on election day, or by absentee ballot only if they will be absent from the town, cannot appear in public because of a religious commitment, have a physical disability, or cannot get to the polls during polling hours because of an employment obligation (which includes caring for children or infirm adults). Official-ballot towns must offer absentee voting at town elections under the same reasons (RSA 669:26).

Early voting: None. The only pre-election voting is absentee, and the clerk must be open to issue and receive absentee ballots at least 3 to 5 p.m. on the Monday before the election; a winter storm warning lets elderly, infirm, or caregiving voters vote absentee that Monday (RSA 669:26).
Mail ballots: Excuse-required absentee ballots from the town clerk (RSA 657:1 for state elections, RSA 669:26 through 669:29 for town elections). The clerk mails ballots for requests received by noon the day before the election and hands them out in person until 5 p.m. the day before (RSA 657:15).
Registration deadline: Register with the town clerk or at a supervisors of the checklist session; the supervisors hold a final correction session 6 to 13 days before the election (RSA 654:27), and anyone who misses it can register at the polls on election day with proof of qualifications (RSA 654:7-a)
Same-day registration: Yes

Knowing who has already voted: Because there is no early voting, the only pre-election signal is the absentee list. A candidate whose name is on the ballot, or someone carrying the candidate's notarized request, may obtain from the clerk the list of absentee ballot applicants, supplied free in electronic form from the statewide voter database, and from September 8, 2026 in a sortable spreadsheet or CSV (RSA 657:15, II). Voters with protective orders are excluded. On election day the marked checklist at the polls is the record of who voted; supervisors update voter history afterward.

Local government in New Hampshire: what you can run for

New Hampshire's towns are the core unit: a select board runs the town, and either a traditional town meeting or, in SB 2 towns under RSA 40:13, a deliberative session followed by an official-ballot vote decides the budget and warrant articles. Cities govern under charters with a mayor and council or aldermen. School districts are separate governments with their own elected boards and their own elections (often the same day and polling place as the town). Village districts provide water, fire, or sewer service and elect commissioners. Counties elect commissioners, a sheriff, a county attorney, a treasurer, a register of deeds, and a register of probate at the state general election (RSA 653:1); county budgets are set by the county delegation of state representatives.

Select board (selectman)
School board
Town moderator
Town clerk
Budget committee
Supervisor of the checklist
Trustee of trust funds
Library trustee
Cemetery trustee
Planning board (where elected)
Village district commissioner
City council or alderman
Mayor
County commissioner

When local elections happen: Town elections are held annually on the second Tuesday in March (RSA 669:1), or the second Tuesday in May in towns that adopted RSA 40:14 or 31:94-a; charter towns may choose March, May, or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd years. School district elections usually coincide with the town election. County officers are elected at the state general election in November of even-numbered years (RSA 653:1), and cities set their own election dates by charter.

Running your New Hampshire campaign on Culper

Culper does not license voter data in New Hampshire today. You upload the New Hampshire voter file described above as a CSV, and every feature runs on it: search and lists, plain-English queries, texting and email, block walking, and volunteer coordination. Online donation processing is in development; ask about timing on the onboarding call. Your file stays in your campaign's workspace and is never shared with another campaign.

Set up your New Hampshire campaign in an afternoon

Upload the voter file, ask for your first list in plain English, and hand your volunteers the walking app. Signup is open to candidates in every state. Pricing is set after a short call so it matches the size of the race.

Get started Book a demo

New Hampshire questions we get asked

How do I get the voter list for a New Hampshire town race?

Ask the supervisors of the checklist or the town clerk for the public checklist. RSA 654:31 makes them furnish it to any person: one electronic copy per election is free, additional electronic copies cost up to $25, paper copies are $25, and lists over 2,500 names cost $25 plus $0.50 per thousand extra names. It contains name, domicile address, mailing address, and party. The statewide list from the New Hampshire Secretary of State is limited to parties, political committees, and county, state, or federal candidates.

When is the filing period for a New Hampshire select board or school board seat?

For the March 9, 2027 election it opens Wednesday January 20 and closes Friday January 29, 2027: the seventh Wednesday before the election through the Friday of the following week (RSA 669:19). You file a declaration of candidacy with the town clerk (school board candidates file with the school district clerk), and last-day filings must be made in person. New Hampshire towns that vote in May use the same offset from the second Tuesday in May.

Do New Hampshire town candidates file campaign finance reports?

Not with the state. RSA 664:1 applies the campaign finance chapter to state elections and, for town, city, school district, and village district elections, only the political advertising and enforcement sections. New Hampshire has no state reporting or contribution limit for a select board or school board race. Check your city charter or ordinances for local rules, and follow the RSA 664:14 identification rules on signs and mailers.

Is there early voting in New Hampshire?

No. New Hampshire voters vote on election day or by absentee ballot, and absentee voting requires a reason: absence from town, religious commitment, physical disability, or an employment obligation including caring for children or infirm adults (RSA 669:26 for town elections). Same-day registration at the polls is available with proof of qualifications (RSA 654:7-a).

How can a New Hampshire candidate see who has requested an absentee ballot?

Under RSA 657:15, II, a candidate on the ballot (or a person with the candidate's notarized request) may obtain the list of absentee ballot applicants from the clerk, free in electronic form; from September 8, 2026 it must come as a sortable spreadsheet or CSV. Voters with protective orders are excluded. New Hampshire has no early voting, so this list plus the election-day checklist is the entire who-has-voted picture.

What is the contribution limit in New Hampshire?

For state election cycles, RSA 664:4 lets an individual or corporation give a candidate up to $15,000 per election cycle and a political committee or party up to $30,000; partnerships and labor unions may not give directly. Those limits do not apply to New Hampshire town, school district, or village district races, which fall outside RSA 664 except for its advertising rules (RSA 664:1).

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Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the official sources below on September 9, 2026. Rules change between cycles; when a number here and the agency disagree, the agency is right.