# New Hampshire SB212: changing references from "votes" to "ballots" in the laws regarding elections.

New Hampshire SB212, changing references from "votes" to "ballots" in the laws regarding elections., is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by David Rochefort (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-06-18 (Signed by the Governor on 06/17/2025; Chapter 0102; Effective 06/17/2025) (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-SB212-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: New Hampshire SB212
- State: New Hampshire
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: changing references from "votes" to "ballots" in the laws regarding elections.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-01-23
- Last action: 2025-06-18, Signed by the Governor on 06/17/2025; Chapter 0102; Effective 06/17/2025
- Sponsor: David Rochefort (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Touches household money: no
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Ballot counts change candidates’ recount rules: mixed, low. Effective immediately upon passage, New Hampshire uses total ballots cast for specified recount eligibility, fee, and refund thresholds. State general-election candidates with at least one vote can request a recount when their gap from the winner is under 20% of ballots cast in the towns comprising…
- Ballot counts change election nomination thresholds: mixed, low. Effective immediately upon passage, New Hampshire measures political organizations’ nomination-paper signature requirement against 3% of ballots cast in the previous state general election. Some party-primary write-in rules now use 10% of ballots cast for that party, with the smaller 35-vote altern…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: David Rochefort (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Katherine J. Prudhomme-O'Brien (Republican), House

## Actions (16)

- 2025-06-18: Signed by the Governor on 06/17/2025; Chapter 0102; Effective 06/17/2025 (Senate)
- 2025-06-09: Enrolled (in recess of) 06/05/2025 HJ 16 P. 167 (House)
- 2025-06-09: Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/05/2025); SJ 16 (Senate)
- 2025-05-08: Sen. Gray Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 05/08/2025; SJ 12 (Senate)
- 2025-05-01: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2025-1695h: MA VV 05/01/2025 HJ 13 P. 3 (House)
- 2025-05-01: Amendment # 2025-1695h: AA VV 05/01/2025 HJ 13 P. 3 (House)
- 2025-04-23: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1695h 04/22/2025 (Vote 15-0; CC) HC 22 P. 7 (House)
- 2025-04-23: Executive Session: 04/22/2025 10:20 am LOB 306-308 (House)
- 2025-04-08: ==CANCELLED== Executive Session: 04/29/2025 10:00 am LOB 306-308 (House)
- 2025-04-08: Public Hearing: 04/22/2025 10:20 am LOB 306-308 (House)
- 2025-03-28: Introduced (in recess of) 03/27/2025 and referred to Election Law HJ 11 P. 113 (House)
- 2025-03-06: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-0393s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/06/2025; SJ 6 (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Committee Amendment # 2025-0393s, AA, VV; 03/06/2025; SJ 6 (Senate)
- 2025-02-12: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0393s, 03/06/2025; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 11 (Senate)
- 2025-01-30: Hearing: 02/04/2025, Room 103, LOB, 09:45 am; SC 8 (Senate)
- 2025-01-23: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 3 (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2025-06-09: [HTML](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1049&inflession=2025)
- Introduced, 2025-01-23: [PDF](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/pdf.aspx?q=billVersion&id=7861)
- CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: [PDF](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/pdf.aspx?q=billVersion&id=16384)
- Version adopted by both bodies: [PDF](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/pdf.aspx?q=billVersion&id=14005)

## Related bills

- HB2026: (New Title) relative to the state 10-year transportation improvement plan; relative to toll rate adjustments and periodic toll reviews for the New Hampshire tu… (became law)
- HB1002: repealing the solar energy systems tax exemption. (failed)
- SB101: (Second New Title) authorizing parents to enroll their children in any public school in the state. (failed)
- CACR22: relating to the compensation of the legislature. Providing that the present compensation per elected term for legislators is hereby abolished. (failed)
- HB1834: relative to the education freedom account enrollment cap. (failed)
- HB1786: relative to creating a state assessment on non-homestead luxury second homes to fund statewide housing development programs and address housing shortages and m… (failed)

## Sources
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1049&inflession=2025)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/pdf.aspx?q=billVersion&id=7861)
- [CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION (PDF)](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/pdf.aspx?q=billVersion&id=16384)
- [Version adopted by both bodies (PDF)](https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/pdf.aspx?q=billVersion&id=14005)

## Related
- [HB2026: (New Title) relative to the state 10-year transportation improvement plan; rela…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-HB2026-2025-2026)
- [HB1002: repealing the solar energy systems tax exemption.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-HB1002-2025-2026)
- [SB101: (Second New Title) authorizing parents to enroll their children in any public s…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-SB101-2025-2026)
- [CACR22: relating to the compensation of the legislature. Providing that the present com…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-CACR22-2025-2026)
- [HB1834: relative to the education freedom account enrollment cap.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-HB1834-2025-2026)
- [HB1786: relative to creating a state assessment on non-homestead luxury second homes to…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-HB1786-2025-2026)
- [New Hampshire bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/new-hampshire/bills)
- [New Hampshire state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/new-hampshire)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NH-SB212-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-17).