Explore the table below to find out how many absentee ballots were rejected in the September state primary, and for what reasons, according to records provided by the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office in response to a right-to-know request from NHPR. If a community doesn't appear in this table, it either had no rejections or had not updated its rejection data as of Oct. 7.
For the rejection categories, the numbers reflect all ballots rejected — even if the voter was ultimately able to cast a ballot. We chose to focus on this number because we wanted to illustrate the most common mistakes that could jeopardize someone’s vote.
A "*" appears next to communities that pre-processed
some of their absentee ballots before the polls opened, which allowed extra time to notify voters of potential mistakes.
(You might need to scroll to the right to view all of the data.)
| Jurisdiction | Statewide Totals |
|---|---|
| Total Absentee Ballots | 90,357 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 1,744 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 541 |
| Missing Affidavit | 413 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 342 |
| Already Voted Absentee | 103 |
| Voted in Person | 89 |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | 73 |
| Wrong Ballot | 60 |
| Spoiled Ballot | 26 |
| Voter Deceased | 21 |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | 20 |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | 18 |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | 9 |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | 8 |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | 7 |
| Not a Registered Voter | 7 |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | 5 |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | 1 |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | 1 |
| Jurisdiction | Allenstown |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 126 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 1 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 1 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Alton |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 414 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 14 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 2 |
| Missing Affidavit | 7 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 2 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | 3 |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Amherst * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 1,024 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 14 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 5 |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 2 |
| Already Voted Absentee | 1 |
| Voted in Person | 6 |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Antrim |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 160 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 5 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 2 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | 2 |
| Wrong Ballot | 1 |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Ashland |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 117 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 3 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | 3 |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Atkinson * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 568 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 10 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 2 |
| Missing Affidavit | 5 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 1 |
| Already Voted Absentee | 2 |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Auburn * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 285 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 6 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 1 |
| Missing Affidavit | 2 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 3 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Barrington * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 553 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 8 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 1 |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 1 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | 2 |
| Wrong Ballot | 3 |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | 1 |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Bartlett * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 325 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 8 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 1 |
| Missing Affidavit | 4 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 1 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | 1 |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | 1 |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Bedford * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 2,425 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 51 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 25 |
| Missing Affidavit | 16 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | 9 |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | 1 |
| Jurisdiction | Belmont * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 284 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 36 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 33 |
| Missing Affidavit | 1 |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | 2 |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Bennington |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 91 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 4 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | 4 |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Berlin * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 368 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 3 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | 2 |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | 1 |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Bethlehem * |
| Total Absentee Ballots | 206 |
| Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | 3 |
| Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | |
| Missed Deadline | |
| Missing Affidavit | |
| Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | |
| Already Voted Absentee | |
| Voted in Person | 2 |
| No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | |
| Wrong Ballot | |
| Spoiled Ballot | |
| Voter Deceased | |
| Ballot Missing from Envelope | 1 |
| Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | |
| Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | |
| Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | |
| No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | |
| Not a Registered Voter | |
| Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | |
| Incomplete Voter Registration Form | |
| Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope | |
| Jurisdiction | Total Absentee Ballots | Rejected Absentee Ballots (Including Where Voter Still Voted) | Est. % of Absentee Votes Rejected And Not Counted | Missed Deadline | Missing Affidavit | Affidavit on the Absentee Ballot Envelope Not Signed | Already Voted Absentee | Voted in Person | No Absentee Registration Affidavit Envelope Returned | Wrong Ballot | Spoiled Ballot | Voter Deceased | Ballot Missing from Envelope | Not Delivered By Mail or An Approved Delivery Agent | Absentee Ballot Application Not Signed | Incomplete Absentee Registration Affidavit | No Written Application for Absentee Ballot Submitted | Not a Registered Voter | Voter Indicated They're No Longer Eligible for Absentee Ballot | Incomplete Voter Registration Form | Multiple Ballots in Same Envelope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Totals | 90,357 | 1,744 | 541 | 413 | 342 | 103 | 89 | 73 | 60 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| Allenstown | 126 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alton | 414 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| Amherst * | 1,024 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Antrim | 160 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ashland | 117 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Atkinson * | 568 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Auburn * | 285 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Barrington * | 553 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Bartlett * | 325 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Bedford * | 2,425 | 51 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Belmont * | 284 | 36 | 33 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Bennington | 91 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Berlin * | 368 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bethlehem * | 206 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
