Run for Office FAQs

  • Yes! Well, probably. Any resident of a New Hampshire town or city can serve on that town’s appointed boards or committees. Any registered voter within a New Hampshire town or city can file to run in town or in city elections. Anyone can run for State Representative who is at least 18 years old, a registered voter at the time of filing, and has lived in New Hampshire for the past two years.

  • State Representative

    State Representatives meet at the State House in Concord during the legislative session, typically from January to June. During that session, Representatives will introduce and vote on legislation; serve on a committee to work on legislation before it goes to the House floor; and represent their community by learning from and responding to their constituents about the issues that matter to them.

    Select Board or City Council

    Typically, Select Boards have three to five members who serve staggered 3-year terms. City Councils will have as many as 15 members. Select Boards and City Councils enact policies and develop the town/city budget. They also oversee personnel, maintain contact with department heads, and serve on volunteer committees.

    School Board

    School Boards set education policies in their communities. They also develop the district budget, hire and oversee the superintendent, negotiate contracts, and engage the public. School Board size and term limits vary by community but typically serve for 3-year terms. Some communities may have 1 or 2-year term seats.

    Planning and Zoning Boards

    Planning Boards and Zoning Boards are responsible for creating, implementing, and enforcing land use goals for a community. In short, they oversee the development that can happen in your town. Depending on your community, these positions may be elected or appointed.

    Moderator

    Moderators serve 2-year terms. Their primary role is to oversee elections in their ward/community and makes a public declaration of results. City Moderators oversee their ward’s polling place on election day. Town Moderators also preside over town meetings, set rules of procedure, and decide on questions of order.

    Supervisor of the Checklist

    The Supervisors of the Checklist decide who is eligible to vote in their community. They meet prior to elections to update voter lists, make name and address corrections, and update party registrations. There traditionally are 3 Supervisors of the Checklist serving 5 to 6-year terms.

    Appointed Positions (no need to actually run!)

    There are many boards, committees, and volunteer commissions that meet once or twice a month in New Hampshire’s cities and towns.

    Appointed community leaders can serve on Planning and Zoning Boards, Conservation Commissions, Energy Committees, Art and Culture Committees, and much more.

    Check with your town clerk about vacancies: many appointed positions are likely vacant in your town, and serving in an appointed office is a great way to apply your professional or personal skills to serve your community.

  • State Representative: State Representatives are up for election again in November 2026. The filing deadlines typically take place in early June of that year.

    Town Office: Filing deadlines for the Town Elections in New Hampshire typically run from late January through early February. Town elections occur every March and April. The filing deadline to run for office in a town with a March election in 2025 is Wednesday, January 22nd through Friday, January 31st.

    City Office: Cities in New Hampshire (officially the 13 communities of Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Dover, Franklin, Keene, Laconia, Lebanon, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Rochester and Somersworth) hold their elections in fall 2025, with filing deadlines in late summer 2025. Check with us or your city clerk for specific deadlines.

  • Town Meeting Day is the quintessential New Hampshire political tradition!

    Over one or two days every spring, local town residents come together in gyms, town halls, and one-room schoolhouses across the Granite State to vote on town business. During a Town Meeting, “every citizen is a legislator”. Towns also elect their leadership in the spring.

    Residents of New Hampshire’s 13 cities have a different election cycle: cities typically elect their local officials every other fall, with the next election in fall 2025.

  • Visit our “Run for Office” page to sign up for our next info session, book a call with our team, or contact us to nominate a neighbor or friend who you think would make an excellent representative of their community’s needs.

    Serving in a local or state office is one the best ways you can have a direct, positive impact on your community and we are here to help you!

  • 603 Forward is a local, independent nonprofit organization operating across New Hampshire.

    We educate, engage, and activate working-age adults to drive pro-next-generation policy change. An essential part of this work is to coach young leaders about why and how to run for office or seek appointed office to build a state where young people - and all our neighbors - can thrive.

    The New Hampshire legislature is the oldest in the nation: the average age of a legislator was 66 when statistics were last available.

    Granite Staters under age 40 make up 26% of the state population but only 2% of our legislators, while Granite Staters over age 76 are 11% of the population but 32% of our legislators. By that math, adults over 76 are 39 times as likely to be legislators in New Hampshire as adults under 40.

    We work to build a more representative state by coaching prospective leaders primarily under age 50. We believe that Granite Staters of all ages are essential to building an inclusive New Hampshire, are welcome at our trainings and events, and should consider running for office!