HB 1838-FN
establishing a voter-owned elections fund and commission and raising vehicle registration fees.
Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗Open this bill in the searchable view → · Follow this bill by RSS
On the record
Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.
| Status | HOUSE |
|---|---|
| In the House | INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/19/2026 |
| LSR number | 2582 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H36 |
Where it stands
House: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
Every floor vote on this bill was a voice or division vote, so there is no record of how individual legislators voted.
Sponsors
Muirhead, Russell(D) Graf 12
Prime sponsor in bold. From the General Court sponsor file.
What happened
Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.
- January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Election Law
- January 20, 2026Public Hearing: 01/20/2026 02:45 pm GP 158
- January 27, 2026Executive Session: 01/27/2026 10:10 am GP 158
- February 3, 2026Executive Session: 02/03/2026 10:10 am GP 158
- February 11, 2026Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/03/2026 (Vote 10-7; RC)
- February 11, 2026Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass
- February 19, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 02/19/2026
Votes
Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.
Inexpedient to Legislate
Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
Committee reports
Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.
Majority — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
This bill proposes establishing a voter-owned elections fund and commission and increasing vehicle registration fees, with the additional revenue directed to the voter-owned elections fund. The Election Law Committee identified concerns regarding the proposed increase in vehicle registration fees, the creation of an additional commission separate from the Ballot Law Commission, and the bill’s enforcement mechanism. The fiscal note exceeded $1,000,000, and this projected cost, combined with the other identified concerns, led the majority of the committee to conclude that the bill should be found Inexpedient to Legislate. Vote 10-7.
Minority — OUGHT TO PASS
Campaigns cost money, and someone is going to pay for them – that “someone” is usually a corporation or organized interest groups that demand our laws are shaped in ways they want. Corporations and interest groups that pay for campaigns are not irrational: they expect a return on their investment. And they get it. Meanwhile, the cost of campaigns makes it difficult, even impossible, for citizens who cannot pick up the phone and collect hundreds of thousands of dollars from vested interests and wealthy friends to run a viable campaign for statewide offices like Executive Council. This bill rectifies that by creating a voter-owned election fund – a fund owned by voters instead of big money. The fund would be established by a $1.00 fee on motor vehicle registrations (and a $5.00 fee on vanity plates). Each voter would be given four $25 certificates they can contribute to any qualified candidate for Executive Council. Candidates “qualify” for voter-owned funds by collecting 500 unique contributions of $5.00 to $125. That is not easy. But it creates a path for saltof-the-earth citizens who know their neighbors, who volunteer for everything, who give more than they get, to run a viable campaign and serve the public – even if they are not plugged into big money. As things are, the donor class dominates our democracy. The way to solve that is to make every voter a donor. That’s what this bill would do.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 20, 2026 at 14:45Election Law public hearing recording 5:39:32–5:48:30, about 9 min (estimated)
- January 27, 2026 at 10:10Election Law executive session recording 0:37:00–0:37:30, about 0 min (estimated)
- February 3, 2026 at 10:10Election Law executive session recording (start time not identified)
- February 19, 2026House floor debate recording (start time not identified)
Page generated 2026-09-03 from data published by the New Hampshire General Court. Granite Record is an independent project, not affiliated with the General Court. The official record always takes precedence. Corrections: [email protected]