Lebanon Clerk Reports Absentee Ballot Volume Cut in Half

Lebanon City Clerk Jaseya "Josie" Ewing said her office is processing half as many absentee ballot requests as it did in 2024, a drop she links to the national argument over mail voting. Ewing said she is fielding questions about absentee ballots daily as Election Day approaches on Nov. 3.

"There is still a general concern out there and I do think that is affecting our numbers this year," Ewing said. She said ballots received by Nov. 3 will be counted. Raul Cervantes, who became a citizen in 2011, handed his ballot to the clerk's office in person. He said he does not buy claims of stolen elections. "I don't believe that. America is one of the best places to vote. Very secure, not like other countries," Cervantes said.

New Hampshire law requires voters who cannot appear in person to request an absentee ballot. Ewing said her office recruits and trains poll workers months ahead of the election. She said staff are equipped to help voters at the polls.

A state law taking effect this year bars polling places from accepting student identification cards, after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the measure. "Yes, there has been back and forth regarding student identification," Ewing said. Karleen Dawson Wood filled out her absentee ballot in the lobby of the City Clerk's Office. "Because I want my children and grandchildren to know they have a right to vote. And if I don't vote, I'm not setting a very good example for them," Dawson Wood said. She has voted for decades and said she does not believe ballots are being stolen. "I don't think there is fraud. I don't think there is people stealing. I don't think they are doing anything, but it does make good news media," Dawson Wood said.

Lebanon is preparing for the Nov. 3 election alongside other municipalities in the region. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized mail ballots, calling them vulnerable to fraud. New Hampshire voters must request an absentee ballot to vote outside the polls, and rules differ among states. Residents can direct questions about the election to their town or city clerk or the Secretary of State's office.