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HB 1838 · 2026 · House · Election Law Committee

Voter-owned elections fund and fees

AI-generated

establishing a voter-owned elections fund and commission and raising vehicle registration fees.

Establishes a voter-owned elections fund and commission to provide financial support to certain candidates, funded in part by increased motor vehicle registration fees and a new private registration fee.AI-generated

Status

Killed in the House — Inexpedient to Legislate · February 19, 2026
  1. ✓Introduced
  2. ✕House
  3. Senate
  4. Governor
  5. Law

Analysis

This bill: I. Establishes a voter-owned elections fund. II. Raises motor vehicle registration fees. III. Establishes a private motor vehicle registration fee. IV. Creates a voter-owned elections commission to provide financial support to certain candidates for office.

From the bill's official ANALYSIS section.

Official record

Bill page — docket & status

gc.nh.gov · the authoritative source

Sponsors

Rep. Russell MuirheadDPrimeDeputy Ranking Member· Election Law

Public testimony

95 signed in online · 12 wrote testimony

93% support7% oppose0% neutral

In their wordsVerbatim, exactly as submitted

“I support this bill that encourages public funding of elections with the goal of removing dark money. While it increases vehicle registration fees, that could be paid for repealing the $300-$500 million tax break given to wealthy corporations and shareholders.”
— Louise Ewing, Antrimsupports
“Voter Owned Elections empower voters to have a strong voice in government and allows candidates without great wealth to run for office.…”
— Corinne Dodge, Derrysupports
“This bill goes along with my HB1201 comments. It creates a voter-owned elections system for New Hampshire’s Executive Council that uses public financing to help candidates run competitive campaigns without relying on big donors or special interests.…”
— Sharon Racusin, Hanoversupports

Verbatim excerpts of submitted testimony, quoted from the testimony tool.

Read the testimony · as of Aug 12, 2026

Hearings

  • 2026-01-2010:00 amHouse Election LawGP 158Public hearing
  • 2026-01-2710:10 amHouse Election LawGP 158Public hearing
  • 2026-02-0310:10 amHouse Election LawGP 158Public hearing

Legislative history

  1. Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Election Law HJ 1 P. 38
  2. Jan 20, 2026HousePublic Hearing: 01/20/2026 02:45 pm GP 158
  3. Jan 27, 2026House==RECESSED== Executive Session: 01/27/2026 10:10 am GP 158
  4. Feb 3, 2026House==CONTINUED== Executive Session: 02/03/2026 10:10 am GP 158
  5. Feb 3, 2026HouseMajority : Inexpedient to Legislate 02/03/2026 (Vote 10-7; RC) HC 7 P. 32
  6. Feb 11, 2026HouseMinority : Ought to Pass
  7. Feb 19, 2026HouseInexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 70

Coverage

No reporting linked yet.

Documents (PDF)

Bill text & amendments link direct to gc.nh.gov; committee reports stream from the state record.