HB1163 Requiring the secretary of state to create and maintain a uniform election records management system.
Requiring the secretary of state to create and maintain a uniform election records management system.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Mixed
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
Taxpayers will bear an estimated $200,000–$500,000 one-time cost in FY 2027 to build the system, with no identified revenue source or appropriation authorized.
Your Community
The system may improve election administration efficiency and record transparency across all NH municipalities, but concrete local benefits depend on implementation details not specified in the bill.
Your Freedom
The bill explicitly permits public citizen access to election records to the extent legally permissible, potentially enhancing transparency and accountability in election processes.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 02/19/2026 House Journal 5 P. 13
Sponsor
JD Bernardy (R)
The Short Version
This bill requires New Hampshire's secretary of state to build a uniform system for managing election records with standardized naming, indexing, tracking, and public access capabilities. The bill mandates a new system but provides no funding, creating an estimated $200,000–$500,000 one-time cost to taxpayers in FY 2027.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ NH citizens seeking access to election records
- ▲ Election officials and auditors who gain standardized record-tracking and chain-of-custody tools
- ▲ Election integrity monitoring efforts through improved searchability and retrieval
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ NH taxpayers funding the $200,000–$500,000 implementation cost with no appropriation provided
- ▼ Department of State, which must implement a significantly modified or expanded system without dedicated funding
Bill statuses as of October 7, 2026. Check LegiScan or NH General Court for the latest.
This bill was auto-scored using AI analysis of the bill text and legislative data. Scores may be refined as we review more bills.