---
type: "Bill"
title: "requiring a second witness at the counting of write-in votes."
description: "requiring a second witness at the counting of write-in votes."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nh"
legislature: "New Hampshire General Court"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 474"
citation: "New Hampshire HB 474 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Claudine R Burnham"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 14
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-01-13"
last_action: "2025-06-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c93f2ac5-e547-4bcb-b38b-e8c2ca398218"
source_url: "https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_docket.aspx?lsr=0736&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025"
source_hash: "752780730bf5db6dc382aae7a3c4541cf74e91c8a3d91e86241f01183692f99d"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nh"]
---

# New Hampshire HB 474 (2025) — requiring a second witness at the counting of write-in votes.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment #2025-0216h** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2025&id=2025-0216h&txtFormat=amend)

## Sponsors

- Claudine R Burnham — primary (person)
- Clayton D Wood — cosponsor (person)
- Glenn Bailey — cosponsor (person)
- Robert J Wherry — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-13** Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Election Law HJ 3 P. 12 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-22** Public Hearing: 01/28/2025 01:30 pm LOB 306-308
- **2025-01-29** Executive Session: 02/04/2025 10:10 am LOB 306-308
- **2025-02-06** Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0216h 02/04/2025 (Vote 10-7; RC) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-06** Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
- **2025-03-20** Amendment # 2025-0216h: AA VV 03/20/2025 HJ 9 P. 44
- **2025-03-20** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2025-0216h: MA VV 03/20/2025 HJ 9 P. 44 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2025-03-24** Introduced 03/20/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 9 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-09** Hearing: 04/15/2025, Room 103, LOB, 10:00 am; SC 17
- **2025-04-16** Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 05/01/2025; Vote 4-0; CC; SC 19 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-01** Ought to Pass: MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/01/2025; SJ 11 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2025-05-23** Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 05/22/2025); SJ 15 `enrolled`
- **2025-05-23** Enrolled (in recess of) 05/22/2025 HJ 15 P. 51
- **2025-06-06** Signed by Governor Ayotte 06/02/2025; Chapter 65; eff.08/01/2025 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c93f2ac5-e547-4bcb-b38b-e8c2ca398218`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Hampshire legislature records).