Most New Hampshire absentee ballots are counted without any issues, according to data compiled by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. However, the same federal voting data shows that about 2% of absentee ballots have been rejected in each of the last four federal elections.

This chart focuses only on domestic civilian absentee ballots cast in general elections, not those returned in primary elections or by UOCAVA (uniformed or overseas civilian) voters.

Why don't these numbers match up with the absentee totals reported on the New Hampshire Secretary of State's website? We're not sure. The Election Assistance Commission collects data for its Election Administration and Voting Survey from election officials in all 50 states "every two years following a federal election." We reached out to the Secretary of State's office to ask if they could provide more insight into why New Hampshire's totals in the federal dataset differ from those reported by their office, and we will update this if we receive a response.