Nashua's Primary Election Voter's Guide

Tuesday, Sept. 11, is Primary Election day. Democrats, Republicans, and Undeclared voters will be going to the polls to choose candidates to run in the Nov. 6 General Election.

We've uploaded sample ballots here for you in pdf format, but here's what to expect in the Nashua Primary Election, at a glance.

NOTE: If you are running for office and have not yet returned your candidate bio information, please return ASAP to: carol.robidoux@patch.com.

Contested Democratic Races

For Governor:

• 
• .

County Attorney:

• Robert M. Walsh
• Patricia M. LaFrance
  

Contested Republican Races

For Governor:

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• 
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For U.S. Congress

For NH State Rep

Ward 1 (vote for no more than 3)

• Carl W. Seidel
• Kevin Avard
• Tom Lanzara
• Sean M McGuinness
• SuzAnne-Marie Rak

Ward 2 (vote for no more than 3)

• Kenneth E. Ziehm II
• Michael Balboni
• Michael McCarthy
• Donald B. McClarren

Ward 5 (vote for no more than 3)

• James Summers
• Anthony G. DuBois
• Don LeBrun
• Barry Palmer

Ward 7 (vote for no more than 3)

• Timothy Twombly
• Jacqueline Casey
• Duane Erickson
• Dee Hogan

Ward 8 (vote for no more than 3)

• Ed Stebbins
• Bill Joransen
• Michael Reed
• Peter Silva

For Sheriff

• Frank Szabo
• James Hardy

For Register of Deeds

• Mary Ann Crowell
• Pamela D. Coughlin

For Delegates to the State Convention

Ward 2 (vote for no more than 3)

• Peggy McCarthy
• Daniel E. Hogan
• Bill Horn
• Jennifer Horn
• Michael McCarthy

Ward 3 (vote for no more than 3)

• Doris Hohensee
• Cathy Clair
• John Clair Sr.
• Howard D. Cottman
• Jeffrey Creem

Ward 7 (vote for no more than 3)

• Christopher Crawford
• Duane Erickson
• Dee Hogan
• Bernard A. Streeter
• Linda Twombly
• Timothy Twombly

Where to Vote: Find Your Polling Location

For a list of ward assignments by street name and/or house number and street name, click here.

Polling locations for each ward appear below:
Ward 1:  Broad Street Elementary School, 390 Broad Street
Ward 2:  Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, 48 Charlotte Avenue
Ward 3:  Amherst Street Elementary School, 71 Amherst Street
Ward 4:  Ledge Street Elementary School, 139 Ledge Street
Ward 5:  Main Dunstable Elementary School, 20 Whitford Road
Ward 6:  Fairgrounds Middle School, 27 Cleveland Street
Ward 7:  Dr. Normand Crisp Elementary School, 50 Arlington Street
Ward 8:  Bicentennial Elementary School, 296 East Dunstable Road
Ward 9:  New Searles Elementary School, 39 Shady Lane

Redistricting
Sec. 3 of the City Charter requires that the Board of Aldermen review ward boundaries following the federal census and, “if necessary to comply with Constitutional requirement to equalize populations, shall, by ordinance, re-divide the city into nine wards.”  The Board of Aldermen approved Ordinance-11-73 (A), Relative to the Revision of Ward Boundaries on July 12, 2011.  The Mayor signed the legislation on July 13, and the new ward lines took effect immediately.  The City Clerk estimates that approximately 1100 registered voters were affected by ward boundary changes. 

Important note: redistricting, for purposes of electing ward officials, has absolutely no impact on school assignments.  Student-school apportionment and assignments are managed by the Nashua School District.

This is a brief summary of the changes that were made to the city's ward lines:  

• Wards 1 and 5: There were no changes.
• Wards 2 and 3: two population blocks east of Monza Road and north of Century Road have been moved from Ward 2 into Ward 3.
• Ward 4: a "triangle" in the northwestern corner of Ward 7 bounded by Main Street - East Pearl Street to Spruce St across Temple- and then to the Nashua River has been moved into Ward 4. This area includes the Nashua Senior Center and the "old Y" on Temple Street.
• Ward 6: the parcel north of Northeastern Boulevard/Harris Road and south of the Everett Turnpike has been moved from Ward 9 into Ward 6.  This parcel includes Greenbriar Terrace.
• Ward 7: a "triangle" in the northwestern corner of the ward has been moved into Ward 4 (see above).  In addition, south of the Circumferential Highway, the parcel between the Daniel Webster Highway and the Merrimack River south to the Massachusetts border has been added to Ward 7 as well as a parcel east of US Route 3 to the Daniel Webster Highway and south of Spit Brook Road to the Massachusetts border.
• Ward 8: the parcel between the Daniel Webster Highway and the Merrimack River south to the Massachusetts border, as well as a parcel east of US Route 3 to the Daniel Webster Highway and south of Spit Brook Road to the Massachusetts border have been moved into Ward 7; a "triangle" bordered by East Dunstable Road - Salmon Brook - and Searles Road/Lamb Road has been moved from Ward 9 into Ward 8.
• Ward 9: a "triangle" bordered by East Dunstable Road - Salmon Brook - and Searles Road/Lamb Road has been moved from Ward 9 into Ward 8; and the parcel north of Northeastern Boulevard/Harris Road and south of the Everett Turnpike has been moved from Ward 9 into Ward 6.

Ward Map (2012) 
List of Streets that were impacted by the redistricting

The following is a list of streets (and house numbers, if applicable) for city wards: 

Voter ID Requirements

For any election before September 1, 2013, you will be asked to provide one of the following:
a) driver's license issued by any state (even if expired); or
b) ID card issued by the NH Department of Motor Vehicles; or
c) US Armed Services ID card; or
d) US passport (even if expired); or
e) valid photo ID card issued by the federal, state, county or municipal government; or
f)  valid student ID card; or
g) other photo ID deemed legitimate by the supervisors of the checklist, the moderator, or the clerk; or
h) verification of identity by a supervisor of the checklist, the moderator, or the clerk.

For any election on or following September 1, 2013:
-- The name on the ID must "substantially conform to the name in the individual's voter registration record." (Example: if a woman was recently married, assumed her husband's last name, and changed her voter registration record to reflect the new last name, the photo ID presented on election day must show the new last name that appears on the checklist.)
-- The ID presented must not have expired "more than 5 years from the current date."
a) driver's license issued by any state or the federal government; or
b) Non-driver's ID card issued by any motor vehicle division, department, agency or office of any state; or
c) US Armed Services ID card; or
d) US passport.

The following forms of ID will no longer be accepted, effective September 1, 2013:
a) any photo ID issued by the federal government, other than a driver's license, Armed Services ID card, or US passport;
b) any photo ID issued by county or municipal governments;
c) any student ID;
d) any "other photo ID deemed legitimate by the supervisors of the checklist, the moderator, or the clerk";
e) verification of identity by a supervisor of the checklist, the moderator, or the clerk.

What if you do not have an approved photo ID?
-- Before November 1, 2012, any voter who does not present an approved photo ID will be informed of the new law and permitted to vote.
-- Between November 1, 2012 and September 1, 2013, any voter who does not present an approved photo ID will be permitted to vote after executing a "challenged voter affidavit."
-- On or following September 1, 2013, any voter who does not present an approved photo ID will be permitted to vote after executing a "challenged voter affidavit" and a photograph of the voter (taken at the polls by election officials) shall be attached to the affidavit. ("If the voter objects to the photograph requirement because of religious beliefs, he or she may execute an affidavit of religious exemption...")
-- State law also provides for issuance of a voter identification card by the NH Department of Motor Vehicles to those who do not have some other acceptable voter photo ID.  There is a $10 fee for this identification card; however, a person who requires a photo identification card only for voter registration purposes may obtain a voucher from the city clerk or the secretary of state exempting the voter from the identification card fee.  The Secretary of State has not yet issued a voucher form that may be used for this purpose, and the Secretary of State's Office and NH Division of Motor Vehicles have not yet published guidance on requirements or procedures necessary to obtain a voter identification card.

For additional information, see:
Secretary of State's Explanatory Document   Full Text of SB 289 and HB 1354 which comprise the Voter ID Law.

All About Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballot forms for Nashua voters for the upcoming General Election
State General (Presidential) Election: November 6, 2012 
Absentee ballots are generally available 30 - 45 days prior to an election.

Absentee ballot request form (and voter registration form) for members of the armed services and overseas citizens absentee voters

Nashua voters requesting or returning an absentee ballot should address the mail to:  City Clerk, 229 Main Street, Nashua, NH  03060.

Any registered voter who is absent from the city on the day of an election, who cannot appear in public because of an observance of a religious commitment, or who is unable to vote in person by reasons of a physical disability, may vote by absentee ballot. (NH RSA 657:1)

A Nashua voter's request for an absentee ballot must be made in writing and mailed to the City Clerk or faxed to 603-589-3029.   The request must be signed by the person requesting the ballot and needs to include that person's legal residence (not a post office box) and an address where the voter would like to have the ballot mailed.  The next regularly scheduled election is the State Primary Election on September 11, 2012.  For your convenience, a link to an absentee ballot request form is posted at the top of this page.  Absentee ballots will be available approximately 30 days prior to the date of an election.

The Mayoral Primary and Municipal General Elections are non-partisan.  Party registration has no bearing on voter eligibility to participate in municipal elections. 

However, for state party primaries an absentee voter needs to designate which party he or she is registered in and the City Clerk will mail the primary ballot for that party to the voter. If the voter is Undeclared, he or she should specify which party's ballot he or she would like to receive. The Undeclared absentee voter's party registration will be changed to the party registration whose ballot was requested, and the ballot will be mailed to the voter.

Voters who wish to cast absentee ballots should allow enough time for the Clerk to receive the written request, for the post office to deliver the ballot, and for the voter to mail that ballot back to the City Clerk in time for the election.

It is important to note the following:

• An absentee voter can deliver only his or her own ballot in person to the City Clerk, during regular business hours, until the day before an election.
• Hand-delivered ballots may only be dropped off by the voter.  Another person (including a spouse or family member) cannot deliver the ballot for an absentee voter. State law does not allow anyone but the voter, the clerk's designee, or mail service to deliver a ballot.
• Hand-delivered absentee ballots will not be accepted at the City Clerk's Office on election day. Voters who are present in the City on election day must go to the polls to vote. The absentee ballot should be disposed of since ward election officials are not authorized to accept absentee ballots at the polls. Instead, a regular ballot will be issued at the checklist table.
• Ballots received by mail after 5 p.m. on election day will not be counted.