Portsmouth City Clerk Schedules Voter Re-Registration Dates for Those Who Have Not Voted Since 2017

Per New Hampshire law, all municipalities in the state must certify their lists of registered voters every ten years. The last time this was done in Portsmouth was 2010.

The Portsmouth City Clerk has announced that any resident who was registered as a voter in the City of Portsmouth but who has not voted in the past four years (since April 1, 2017) must re-register before August 1, 2021 to remain on the voter rolls.

The City Clerk’s office can process voter re-registrations and new registrations during regular office hours at City Hall (Mon 8 am - 6 pm. Tues, Wed, Thurs 8 am – 4:30 pm. Fri 8 am – 1 pm).

In addition, the Portsmouth Board of Registrars is hosting two special sessions at City Hall for these registrations: Tuesday, July 13, from 4:30 pm to 6 pm and Tuesday, July 20, from 9 am to 10:30 am.

Applicants for registration who possess proof of identity, age, citizenship and domicile (Portsmouth home address) should bring that proof when they come to register. Qualified applicants who do not possess proof or who do not bring proof with them may still register if they sign an affidavit attesting to their qualifications for identity, age, and citizenship and domicile.

Eligible residents of Portsmouth are always able to register to vote on election day.

Certifying the voter registration rolls makes planning for and reporting voter participation in elections more accurate. In the ten years that elapse between such checks many who no longer live in Portsmouth remain on the rolls. While they do not vote, the voter count skews analysis of voter participation. For example, there are currently 21,568 Portsmouth voters listed; while the population of Portsmouth is 21,775. The November 2020 election had 69 percent of the electorate participating. If the correct number of voters is fewer, participation would be higher, statistically – and the reporting more accurate.