Updated 2024 Elections and Town Meeting Information
As additional information for 2024 Elections are prepared, the information will be added to this page.
Town Meeting - Saturday, March 16, 2024
For more information on the Town Meeting - see the Town Meeting Powerpoint
Welcome to Town Meeting Slideshow - Pictures of Bristol employees, public and events. Enjoy a little bit of Bristol!
The Bristol Town Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, 2024 at the Newfound Regional High School Auditorium beginning at 9:00AM. Voters will be asked to review any additional Warrant Articles not voted on the ballot including the budget.
Town Meeting will be live-streamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNZGXZDTOcg
Concession Food - snacks and drinks - they will be provided as a fundraiser to support the Freshman Class. Thank you to the Freshman Class. We appreciate all your hardwork and preparations for the day!!!!
Babysitting - offered by the Newfound Regional High School National Honor Society. Thank you to the National Honor Society - we are very sorry that no one took advantage of this opportunity but are very thankful that you were there for the event and ready and able.
Warrant Articles:
Warrant Articles 9-17 will be addressed at the Town Meeting. The full text of the Signed Warrant is available HERE - Annual Town Meeting Warrant 2024. Below are also the Warrant Articles and additional information related to each article, if available.
- Article 9 – by Petition: Shall the following provisions pertaining to elections be adopted? All voting shall be by paper ballot and all ballots shall be hand counted only, rather than by use of optical scanning or any other types of programmable electronic counting devices. This shall constitute a return to hand counting ballots and the immediate discontinuance of all electronic voting machines and electronic devices authorized for use by trial in RSA 656:40. Shall this article be passed it shall be enacted by the Town of Bristol immediately. (Majority vote required) -
- Article 9 - Failed
- Article 10: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the Budget Committee’s recommended sum of Nine Million One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand Seven Hundred Eighty-Nine Dollars and Sixty-Eight Cents ($9,144,789.68) for general municipal operations. The Select Board recommends Nine Million Two Hundred Thirty-Three Thousand Six Hundred Sixty-Five Dollars and Sixty-Eight cents ($9,233,665.68). This article does not include appropriations contained in special or individual articles addressed separately. (Majority vote required)
- Article 11: To see if the Town will vote to establish a contingency fund for the current year for unanticipated expenses that may arise and further to raise and appropriate Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) to put in the fund. This sum to come from the Unassigned Fund Balance. Any appropriation left in the fund at the end of the year will lapse to the general fund. (Majority vote required).
- Article 11 - Passed
- Article 12: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000) to be added to the Patriotic, Recreation and Special Events Expendable Trust Fund established in 2021. (Majority vote required)
- Article 12 - Passed
- Article 13: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Eighty-Seven Thousand Five Hundred Twenty-Eight Dollars ($87,528) for the purpose of purchasing the “parsonage and parking lot” which constitutes approximately 0.37 acres of land and buildings located at 20 Summer Street, Bristol, NH and further identified by the Town’s Tax Map 114, Lot 091. Said amount includes purchase, demolition, limited landscaping, and parking lot repairs. The property will be used for future expansion of downtown parking. (Majority vote required)
- Article 13 - Passed
- Article 14: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Four Hundred Five Thousand Dollars ($405,000 - Amended to $325,000) to be added to the following Capital Reserve Funds previously established. (Majority vote required)
- Accrued Wages Capital Reserve Fund (Established in 1998) - $25,000
- Assessment Reval Capital Reserve Fund (Established in 2015) - $25,000
- Fire Equipment Capital Reserve Fund (Established in 1972) - $100,000 Amended to $80,000
- Highway Equipment Capital Reserve Fund (Established in 1968) - $160,000 Amended to $100,000
- Police Vehicle Capital Reserve Fund (Established in 2017) - $65,000
- Town Building Maintenance Capital Reserve Fund (Established in 2014) - $30,000
- Article 14 - Passed with Amendment - Noted Changes in Bold above
- Article 15: Shall the Town modify the Veteran’s Tax Credit in accordance with RSA 72:28, II from its current tax credit of $500 per year to $750? (Majority vote required)
- Article 15 - Passed
- Article 16: To see if the Town will vote to adopt the Bristol Community Power plan, to authorize the Bristol Select Board to implement the plan, and to take all action in furtherance thereof, pursuant to RSA 53-E. The Bristol Community Power plan is an opt-out program that offers more flexible electricity procurement. The plan will initially provide lower electricity rates for residents, or it will not launch. Initial participation in the plan can be declined, after which enrollment becomes voluntary. Tax Impact: None
- Article 16 - Passed
Presidential Primary Elections - Tuesday, January 23, 2024:
2024 Presidential Primary Election results - Bristol, New Hampshire
The TC/TX office will be closed for the Presidential Primary held on Tuesday Jan. 23, 2024.
The NH Presidential Primary Election is scheduled for January 23, 2024. Voting will take place at the Historic Town Hall, 45 Summer St and the polls are open from 8:00am to 7:00pm.
Handicap Parking - There is handicap parking at the Historic Town Hall.
All other Parking - All other parking is located at the Town Office Building at 5 School St. There will be a Town shuttle service for members of the public that may need a ride from the Town Office Building to the Historic Town Hall - please look for the sign boards. The shuttle will be a blue Ford Ranger from the Town's Water and Sewer Department.
The following sample ballots are available for viewing:
For more information on voting, including absentee ballots and voter registration, please visit the Town website at https://www.bristolnh.gov/town-clerk-tax-collector/pages/voter-registration.
Filing for Town Elections
Any resident interested in filing for any of the open positions listed below, must sign up with the Town Clerk / Tax Collector's Office, from January 24, 2024 through February 2, 2024.
- 1 Select Board member for 3 years
- 1 Moderator tor 2 years
- 1 Trustee of the Trust Funds for 3 years
- 1 Supervisor of the Checklist for 6 years
- 1 Cemetery Trustee for 3 years
- 1 Cemetery Trustee for 1 year
- 2 Budget Committee members for 3 years
- 1 Budget Committee member for 2 years
- 3 Library Trustees for 3 years
- 1 School Moderator for 1 year
Deadline for submitting a Petitioned Warrant Article - Tuesday, February 6, 2024:
25 or more registered voters may petition the Governing Body (Select Board) to place an article on the Warrant per RSA 39:3. The petition must be presented to the Governing Body not later than the fifth Tuesday before the annual Town Meeting. The Governing Body is obligated to insert a petitioned article into the Warrant with only such minor textual changes as may be required, and those corrections cannot change the intended effect of the petitioned article. All Petitioned Warrant Articles must be submitted by 5:00pm on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
The Town has prepared a Petitioned Warrant Article Form that can be used for submission. It is a fillable form, which allows you to type the purpose of the petition, and the warrant article text being submitted into the document before printing. However, all signatures must be original handwritten signatures from 25 registered voters of Bristol. The form provides space for 10 signatures, so multiple documents will need to be submitted. Should you have any questions, please contact either the Town Clerk / Tax Collector's Office or the Town Administrator's Office.
Blank Petitioned Warrant Article Form
Public Hearing on the 2024 Proposed Budget and Warrant Articles - Tuesday, February 6, 2024:
Town Elections - Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Results of the 2024 Town Election are available here.
Voting for any open positions and Zoning Amendments is done at Town Elections by ballot vote on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Please note the Town Clerk / Tax Collector's Office is closed on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Shuttle Service - A shuttle vehicle will be available to shuttle any members of the public from the Town Office Building (5 School St) to the Historic Town Hall (45 Summer St) for voting. The vehicle sits three.
Handicap parking - Handicap parking is also available at the Historic Town Hall (45 Summer St). It is limited parking, but it is available to the public.
Detour - On Tuesday, March 12, detours will be in place on School Street for Elections. All traffic that exits School Street will be detoured up Winter and Spruce Streets. Entrance ONLY allowed from Summer Street.
Election of Officers:
The Minot-Sleeper Library Trustees hosted a Meet the Candidates Event on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 1:00pm, located at the Historic Town Hall (45 Summer St). The Event was recorded and can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/918864751 - Offices on the ballot are listed below:
- Select Board member for 3 years: vote for 1
- Donald Milbrand
- Steven Coffill
- Town Moderator tor 2 years: vote for 1
- Edward "Ned" Gordon
- Trustee of the Trust Funds for 3 years: vote for 1
- Elizabeth "Betty" Seeler
- Supervisor of the Checklist for 6 years: vote for 1
- Gail Sarto
- Cemetery Trustee for 3 years: vote for 1
- Richard Laflamme
- Cemetery Trustee for 1 year: vote for 1
- OPEN POSITION
- Budget Committee members for 3 years: vote for 2
- Janet Cavanagh
- OPEN POSITION
- Budget Committee member for 2 years: vote for 1
- Daniel Kenney
- Library Trustee for 3 years: vote for 3
- Nancy Dowey
- Suzanne Nieman
- Karen Boyd
Proposed Zoning Amendments - For the 2024 Ballot, Articles 2-8 are the proposed Zoning Amendments. Zoning amendments are presented to voters, in most cases, on a yearly basis, to amend the Town's existing Zoning Ordinance. Changes can be related to errors in the Ordinance that need to be corrected, improvements to the Ordinance, law changes in the preceding years or based upon reviews of applications and processes throughout the year by the Planning Board. The Planning Board prepares the changes, holds public hearings, and then submits for voters on the ballot. For more information on the changes, please visit the Planning Board 2024 Proposed Zoning Amendments Information Document.