LACONIA — After a long campaign, everything from Belknap County commissioner to sheriff and president of the United States will be before voters today in a general election marked by an outsized number of absentee ballots and anticipated record voter turnout.
On Monday, Laconia City Clerk Cheryl Hebert said the six city wards were being prepared for the 7 a.m. start of voting.
“The day before an election, we collect any returned absentee ballots, get a final count of all the unused ballots that will be delivered to the polls on election day, and answer any and all questions pertaining to the election,” she said.
“I have not experienced any challenges compared to other elections besides the increase in absentee ballot requests.”
Danielle LaFond, Gilford town clerk, said voters are encouraged to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The biggest challenge in this election is the unmasked voters,” she said. “How do we accommodate everyone? We ended up making another line for the unmasked voters where they don’t travel through the general population of masked voters.”
The New Hampshire secretary of state’s office has been reporting absentee numbers every Tuesday. The last report, from October 27, showed 225,002 requests for ballots and 181,577 returns of absentee ballots. By comparison, 75,000 people voted by absentee ballot four years ago.
In 2016, a record 755,850 New Hampshire residents cast ballots in the presidential election, narrowly favoring Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.
Secretary of State William Gardner says he expects the overall turnout this time to easily exceed 800,000.
The presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has obviously captured most of the attention, but this is also a big year for the New Hampshire Legislature, as it will draw congressional and legislative districts following the 2020 United States Census.
District boundary lines are subject to veto by the governor, an office where Republican incumbent Chris Sununu is being challenged by Democrat Dan Feltes.
The Attorney General's Office will be operating its Election Day hotline from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Voters and election officials with concerns or questions can call 1-866-868-3703 (1-866-VOTER03).
A team of more than 100 state employees from the Attorney General's Office, Secretary of State's Office and other state agencies will be deployed to polling locations across the state. They will be available to assist local election officials and respond to any issues that may arise.
New Hampshire allows residents to register to vote up to and including Election Day.
Guidance put out by the state Department of Justice says it is best practice for the municipality to have at least one law enforcement officer on duty at the polling place throughout the election.
“The officer can promote traffic and pedestrian safety outside the polling place, ensure the safety of the public and election officials, and be a resource helping election officials ensure the lawful conduct of voting inside the polling place,” the guidance states.
“If your town or city is unable to provide a dedicated law enforcement officer, request your Police Chief arrange for law enforcement on patrol in your town or ward to stop at the polling place as often and for as long as is practical throughout Election Day.”
Laconia Police Chief Matt Canfield said he plans to have on-duty police officers periodically stop by the polling places in their sectors as part of their routine patrols.
Political parties may select a challenger to be at a polling place. Members of the public can go to polling places to observe activities taking place there from outside of a railed off area.
In local legislative races, incumbent state Sen. Harold French, a Republican, faces a challenge from Democrat Philip Spagnuolo, while Democrat William Bolton seeks to unseat Republican Sen. Bob Giuda. The Democratic party has a 14-10 majority in the state Senate.
In the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Democrats have a 233-166 majority.
The House Belknap District 1 race features a contest between Democrat Robert Joseph and Republican Tom Ploszaj.
Four people are to be elected in Belknap District 2, where Glen Aldrich, Harry Bean and Jonathan Mackie are all Republican incumbents. The field includes Republican candidate Norm Silber and Democrats Natalie Taylor, Diane Hanley, Shelley Carita and Dara McCue.
Four are also to be elected in Belknap District 3, where Democrat David Huot is an incumbent. The field includes fellow Democrats Marcia Hayward, Carlos Cardona and Gail Ober as well as Republicans Richard Littlefield, Mike Bordes, Dawn Johnson and Gregg Hough.
Two will be elected in Belknap District 4, where Timothy Lang is the Republican incumbent facing Republican Juliet Harvey-Bolia and Democrat Jane Alden.
In Belknap District 5, two are to be elected out of a field composed of incumbent Republican Peter Varney, Republican Paul Terry, and Democrats Duane Hammond and Stephen Copithorne.
Two will be elected in Belknap District 6, featuring incumbent Republican Mike Sylvia, Republican Douglas Trottier and Democrats George Condodemetraky and Don House.
In Belknap District 7, incumbent Republican Barbara Comtois faces Democrat Jane Westlake.
Belknap District 8 is a race between incumbent Republican Raymond Howard and Democrat Ruth Larson, while in Belknap District 9, incumbent Democrat Charlie St. Clair faces Republican Travis O'Hara.
Local voters will also see a U.S. Senate race on the ballot, where incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen faces Republican Corky Messner. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a Democratic incumbent, faces a challenge from Republican Matt Mowers for a seat that has flipped back and forth between Republicans and Democrats for more than a decade.
Fomer executive counselor Joseph Kenney, a Republican, seeks to regain the seat he lost in 2018 to Michael Cryans, a Democrat.
For Belknap County Commission, Republican Peter Spanos faces Democrat Peter Brunette, and Belknap County voters will also decide between Deputy William Wright and former Sanbornton Police Chief Richard Robinson.
On the Web:
Laconia Daily Sun voter guide: https://tinyurl.com/yy628hw6
New Hampshire election law: https://tinyurl.com/y6zbugwn
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.