2014 was a mid-term election year, which always brings a bit of buzz and excitement to the polls. Usually voter turnout is good - and 2014 did not disappoint in that regard - but it never matches turnout for a Presidential year.
People who enjoy elections and follow them might enjoy browsing through the Secretary of State's website, where they now have results of all Primaries and General Elections since 1992 available online:
http://sos.nh.gov/ElectResults.aspx
As of this writing, there are 987 registered voters in Bennington:
215 Democrats, 317 Republicans, and 455 Undeclared voters.
This year’s Town Elections will be Tuesday, March 10th. This year, we vote at the Pierce Elementary School. The Polls will be open 8am – 7pm. Remember, we have Same-Day registration in New Hampshire. Bring a picture I.D. with proof of residence to register to vote at the polls.
Even if you are already registered, you will be asked to show a photo I.D. in order to vote.
Citizens wishing to vote must now bring the following forms of ID to the polls or be prepared to fill out a "challenged voter affidavit" as means of proving that they are indeed qualified to vote in town.
The following 5 types of photo IDs will be accepted in 2015:
(1) A driver’s license issued by any state or the federal government.
(2) An identification card issued under RSA 260:21 or a nondriver’s identification card issued by the motor vehicles division, department, agency, or office of any state.
(3) A United States armed services identification card.
(4) A United States passport or passcard.
(5) A valid student identification card.
Expiration date on photo IDs cannot be more than 5 years old, with the exceptions of qualified IDs of voters over 65 years of age or student IDs issued before Sept 1, 2018.
We still count votes by hand in Bennington, and we welcome volunteers to help. Vote counting is an interesting and rewarding way to get involved with your community. Every vote will be counted, and every vote counts! Paper ballots are still the best guarantee of free open elections, as they ensure a voter-verified paper trail. All are welcome to lend a hand on Election Day evening. Volunteer with the Town Moderator or Town Clerk if you would like to help either during the day or in the evening.
Don't forget to visit the Bennington Elections web-pages if you have questions about voting, elections, etc. In them you can find information about registering to vote, the photo I.D. law, the Election schedule, absentee voting, previous years' election reports, links to State and Federal Elections' sites, and more. Please visit them at:
http://benningtonelections.homestead.com/
Drusilla Cox, Melissa Searles, Victoria Turner
SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST
