2023 Municipal Election

Your guide to the 2023 Municipal Election

The next City of Dover municipal election is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

At the election, voters from all wards will elect the Mayor, two at-large City Councilors, and one at-large School Board member. In addition, voters in each of the six Dover wards will elect a City Councilor and School Board member and election officers, including a Supervisor of the Checklist, Moderator, three Selectpersons, and a Ward Clerk. All elected positions are two-year terms.

Candidate filing period is from Sept. 11 to Sept. 22, 2023

Those interested in seeking office must file a written declaration of candidacy with the City Clerk during the filing period. The filing period for the 2023 municipal election begins on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. and ends Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at 4 p.m.

Candidates must be duly qualified voters in the city. For Mayor and City Council positions, candidates must have lived in Dover for at least one year preceding the election. Candidates seeking a specific ward position must live in that ward. Visit https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/election-information/ for a map that shows Dover's ward boundaries.

Elected office compensation

City Councilors and School Board members receive a $1,000 annual salary as part of their compensation. The Mayor and Chair of the School Board receive an additional $200 per year, and the Deputy Mayor receives an additional $50 per year. Supervisors of the Checklist are compensated $222 per day, Moderators $185 per day, Selectpersons $139 per day and Ward Clerks $131 per day.

Powers and duties of offices

The Mayor and City Council is the governing body of the City of Dover and set policies for the city government. As it states in the charter, the Mayor and Council "shall bear full responsibility for the implementation of said policies through the hiring and supervision of the City Manager." Duties include adopting ordinances, authorizing City of Dover expenditures of $25,000 or greater, adopting an annual budget and appointing members to all committees, boards and commissions, other than the School Board.

The School Board is the governing body of the City of Dover's School Department, which is School Administrative Unit 11. Per state law, the duty of the School Board is "to provide, at district expense, elementary and secondary education to all pupils who reside in the district until such time as the pupil has acquired a high school diploma or has reached age 21." It is responsible for establishing school policies and programs and determining the budgetary requirements of the schools. The School Board hires and supervises the Superintendent, tasked with managing the school district.

Election officers manage the election and have different responsibilities. 

• Supervisors of the Checklist are responsible for maintaining up-to-date voter checklist information for the ward to which they were elected following all applicable laws.
• Moderators are responsible for overseeing the election process at the polling place of the ward to which they were elected. Moderators also ensure all applicable laws and procedures are carried out and followed by all participants at the polling place.
• Ward Clerks performs whatever duties deemed necessary by the moderator, including verifying and recording ballot count information.
• Selectpersons are responsible for the "in" and "out" checklists at the polling place, including verifying voter information, handing out ballots, directing voters to booths, and any other duties deemed necessary by the moderator.

For more information, contact City Clerk Susan Mistretta at 603-516-6018 or s.mistretta@dover.nh.gov.