By Emily Duggan

Granite State News Collaborative

The six-person council tasked by New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner with figuring out a plan of action for the November presidential election has decided the safest way to vote in the state will be through an absentee ballot.

With funding from the federal CARES Act, the state plans to use $3.2 million to get ballots out to New Hampshire residents and to pay for coronavirus protective equipment, according to the final report published by the committee.

It is anticipated that one of the larger challenges with absentee voting will be getting the ballots out to residents who do not feel safe participating in in-person voting -- a challenge that could cost at least “$100,863,” according to the report.

“The biggest thing in all of this is publicity,” Manchester Town Clerk Matthew Norman said. “A huge piece of this is everyone collaborating that it’s OK to vote absentee -- it’s the safest alternative to voting in polls.”

In past elections, voting absentee was only available for residents that have disabilities, if they were out of state at time of the election, or if they had a religious exemption -- this demographic made up 5% of 2016 voters, according to the published report. The report also noted that it’s hoped to have a state-wide collective effort of 80% absentee voting and in-person voting, as 75% of eligible voters in New Hampshire participated in the 2016 election.

Norman said polling locations will have never experienced an abundance of ballots through the mail before, and it is thought that there may not be enough volunteers to fulfill the need. Volunteers would have to take on the task of counting ballots as they come in, he said.

According to state Sen. Dr. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, another committee member, most volunteers are older, and they may not feel comfortable at polling locations with the threat of the virus.

“It’s a reasonable estimate that we could have 50% absentee [participation],” Norman said of Manchester’s 12 polling locations. “It does not take simple math to think we are going to get buried in absentees.”

Polling locations will be open Tuesday, Nov. 3 for Election Day, and they will have to follow the state’s coronavirus guidelines. Money from the CARES Act will go directly to ensuring the health and safety of volunteers and those that come out to vote, according to the task force report.

Sneeze guards, face masks and shields, gloves, and disposable pens are all on the list of items to purchase for Election Day and leading up to it, and volunteers will have to wear protective gear.

Tape to track six-feet distances will also be needed, as same-day registration at polls is popular.

“We had some compelling evidence from Matt Norman with about 10,000 same-day registrants at one point in Manchester and that paints the problem in the fall of having very clogged up polling places,” attorney and committee member Katherine Hanna said. “This time, around COVID, it’s a real risk having the lining up of people and [the] congestion [that it may bring]. The committee is hoping that we get the word out that they should start now thinking to register to vote by absentee.”

Hanna emphasized the importance of getting the word to vote by absentee before Election Day to nursing homes and students, as they often register the same day.

Norman’s team in Manchester is working with 22 different assisted living homes to help with the process of obtaining the ballot information, and working with managers within the facilities if he is unable to safely enter the premises. Bradford Cook, the committee chairman, already reached out to two New Hampshire university presidents with the same idea.

“Our mission is not to get out and vote,” the report said. “Our mission is to facilitate safe voting by those who wish to vote and for those whose role is to assist them in the process.”

Updates on polling will be posted on the NH secretary of state website at sos.nh.gov.

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