A Visual Tour Through Voting in New Hampshire’s Primaries

‘You do not receive a ballot until you’ve gone through the ballot check-in process,’

Voters line up to cast their ballots in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Americans concerned about election integrity may wonder about the ins and outs of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential rimary. Who can vote, and what are the steps involved?

The Epoch Times can walk you through that process as it took place at Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s Ward One polling place, the New Franklin School.

Primary voters in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024 Nathan Worcester/Epoch Times

Same-Day Registration

After walking past a table laden with food, would-be voters entered the school’s gymnasium.

“They’re greeted by a greeter,” said Stephen Pesci, the moderator for the ward, in an interview with The Epoch Times on the afternoon of Jan. 23.

“The moderator is basically the person in charge of the polling place,” he explained.

Ward moderator Stephen Pesci holds election paperwork in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“The greeter asks if they’re registered or not,” Mr. Pesci said. If not, they must go to a nearby registration table.

“We have same-day registration.”

A polling site at Christa McAuliffe School in Concord, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Photo ID Verification and Challenged Voter Affidavits

“If they are registered, the next question is, ‘Do you have your photo ID, or not?’ If they do, they proceed to the ballot clerk. If they do not have photo ID, they proceed to this table,” Mr. Pesci said, indicating a spot across the room.

The table is where voters can complete what’s known as a challenged voter affidavit. The process involves taking a photograph of the challenged voter, attached to an affidavit. The voter can cast an affidavit ballot subject to additional verification by the secretary of state.

An instant camera used for voter identification is displayed in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“If they have a religious objection to the camera being used, we have a form for that,” Mr. Pesci said.

Behind a little perimeter, where journalists fear to tread, were the voting booths.

“You do not receive a ballot until you’ve gone through the ballot check-in process,” he said.

Voters cast their ballots in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Casting the Ballot

Voters can only vote in one of the two primaries—and, while independent voters can cast ballots in a primary and then immediately revert back to their undeclared status, registered Republicans and Democrats seeking to cross over would have to have changed their registration by early October 2023.

Jenny Viscarolasaga, a Portsmouth Democrat who wanted to vote in the Republican primary for Nikki Haley, was surprised to learn about those restrictions.

Voters cast their ballots in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 23, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“Okay, then, I’m not going to do that. I’ll go and write in Biden,” she said.