Research report: SPOTLIGHT ON NEW HAMPSHIRE

Voter Registration and Turnout for the Youngest Voters in 2022

• 83% of New Hampshire 18-year-olds who registered turned out to vote in the 2022 midterms. 

• The overall turnout rate among 18-year-olds (those who voted compared to the statewide 18-year-old population) was only 24% because only 29% of 18-year-olds were registered in 2022.

• Among the 20 most populous municipalities, the top five are Hanover, Durham, Bedford, Dover, and Plymouth, all with registration rates of 40% or higher and turnout rates of 35% or higher for 18-year-olds.

• Turnout rates correlate strongly with registration rates. In every one of the municipalities among those with the highest number of youth, the rank in terms of registration was the same as the turnout rank.

• This strong relationship suggests that voter registration rates are a strong predictor of turnout rates. Community efforts to engage students to overcome the obstacles to voter registration will likely have a meaningful impact on turnout in well publicized elections in New Hampshire.

INTRODUCTION

This is the second of three reports The Civics Center is issuing concerning voter registration and turnout for the youngest voters in New Hampshire.

Our central finding is that the state’s restrictive voter registration rules significantly harm youth efforts to participate in the political process. 

Only 24% of the state’s 18-year-olds turned out to vote in 2022, but among those who were registered, an extraordinary 83% turned out. 

New Hampshire’s same-day voter registration provides an important opportunity for the youngest voters to participate but does not fully compensate for the state’s voter suppression laws that make it difficult for the youngest voters to participate. 

Legislative reforms to make registration more accessible could significantly aid in youth political participation. In the meantime, community efforts to engage students in voter registration while they are in high school may somewhat dampen the impacts of the state’s challenging requirements. 

OBSTACLES TO VOTING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

In 2022, New Hampshire was named the toughest state to vote in nationwide, due in part to significant voter registration barriers. Unlike every other state in the nation, New Hampshire requires residents to register to vote in person, usually during business hours, which alone creates a significant barrier for high school students to register to vote. New Hampshire also requires residents to be 18 on the “next election” day in order to register, but different townships hold elections on different days, making it difficult for teens to anticipate when they will be able to register and to organize voter registration drives for their peers. 

Another major impediment for high school students is New Hampshire’s restrictive voter registration ID requirements. Registrants must provide documents demonstrating proof of identity, age, citizenship, and domicile, which can be challenging for high school students without a state-issued ID and/or passport. For example, a photo ID from a public high school may provide proof of domicile, but only if it includes the student’s address. For now, residents can prove they are qualified to register by signing a Qualified Voter Affidavit under oath in front of an election official if they do not have documents to prove those qualifications, but some lawmakers have introduced legislation that would eliminate that option for residents without the necessary documentation.  

SAME-DAY REGISTRATION IS AN IMPORTANT AVENUE FOR PARTICIPATION BY THE YOUNGEST VOTERS, BUT IT DOES NOT COMPENSATE FOR OVERALL LOW LEVELS OF REGISTRATION

Nearly 3,000 18-year-olds registered to vote in New Hampshire on Election Day, taking advantage of the state’s same-day registration law. That amounts to 17% of the 18-year-old population as a whole.

Same-day registrants made up 64% of 18-year-olds who voted in New Hampshire in the November 2022 midterms. More than half (53%) of the 18-year-olds who were registered to vote in the midterms registered on Election Day. 

18-year-olds took advantage of same-day registration at nearly twice the rate as other youth voters (17% for 18-year-olds, compared to 8.7% for 18-24 year olds).

TURNOUT AMONG THOSE WHO DID MANAGE TO REGISTER WAS HIGH

Contrary to the myth that young people do not turn out, our research shows very strong turnout rates among those who are registered, suggesting that registration hurdles, and a lack of programming to help young people overcome them, are the more significant barriers to full participation.

The chart below plots the turnout rate for 18-year-olds in the most populous cities and towns in New Hampshire in November 2022 against the registration rate in those same municipalities as of September 2022. 

Turnout rates correlate strongly with registration rates. In every one of the municipalities among those with the highest number of youth, the rank in terms of registration was the same as the turnout rank. This strong relationship suggests that voter registration rates are a strong predictor of turnout rates. Community efforts to engage students to overcome the obstacles to voter registration will likely have a meaningful impact on turnout in well publicized elections in New Hampshire. 

Wide disparities exist, however, with more than 40 percentage points separating municipalities with the highest and lowest registration and turnout rates for 18-year-olds. For more detail, see our rankings of the 20 most populous municipalities below the charts below.

RANKINGS OF 20 MOST POPULOUS CITIES AND TOWNS

Below is our Future Voter Scorecard, ranking the 20 New Hampshire cities and towns with the highest youth populations (ages 15-19) by turnout rate.

We are grateful to Adriana Heath, a 2023 graduate of Dartmouth College for research assistance with this report and to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for funding support.