"Moving" to NH

[adamwruth]

Hello all,

Hopefully someone here can help me.  I'm a permanent resident of Australia, but I am a U.S. citizen and I maintain a residence in the States (Salt Lake City, UT, to be exact).  I want to move that residence to NH to help out the Free State Project as best I can (even though I am in Australia most of the year). 

Does anyone know what would be required to move my residence to NH so that I can vote absentee?  I would be most interested in buying a second residence that I can rent out, though if it's necessary to sell my house in SLC, that also may be an option.  Also, where would be a good place to buy some place to rent out? 

Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated,

Adam Ruth

[d_goddard]

Hi Adam!

What part of Australia? My wife and I lived in Adelaide for a year in 2003. We're still hooked on McLeod's Daughters to this day (I can admit that over here because nobody knows what I'm talking about)

Anyway:
1) I am not a lawyer nor am I in any way able to give legal counsel
2) The short answer is that you must have an "established a domicile" in the State of New Hampshire

Here are the relevant laws

An inhabitant's domicile for voting purposes is that one place where a person, more than any other place, has established a physical presence and manifests an intent to maintain a single continuous presence for domestic, social, and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government.

Temporary Absence

A domicile for voting purposes acquired by any person in any town shall not be interrupted or lost by a temporary absence therefrom with the intention of returning thereto as his or her domicile.

Voting Rights of Overseas Citizens

    654:3 Voting Rights of Overseas Citizens. ? Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any United States citizen being at least 18 years of age as provided in Article 11 of Part First of the Constitution of New Hampshire, who is domiciled outside the United States, shall have the right to register absentee to vote in any federal election in the town or city in New Hampshire in which he or she had his or her domicile immediately prior to his or her departure from the United States, even though he or she no longer maintains domicile in said town or city and even though his or her intent to return thereto is uncertain, provided:
    I. He or she complies with all other applicable requirements and qualifications of the state of New Hampshire; and
    II. He or she is not domiciled and is not registered to vote in any other state or election district of a state or in any territory or possession of the United States; and
    III. He or she has a valid passport or card of identity issued under the authority of the Secretary of State of the United States.

MODERATORS:
Can this thread be renamed to something more useful to others looking for the info, like "NH Voting Rights of Overseas Citizens" ?
Thanks!

[adamwruth]

Thanks for your reply, and good thinking on the title ( why didn't I think of that  ??? )

Your post was very helpful.  It looks like if I lived there long enough to get a driver license and register to vote (including "unregistering" from Utah) I would be okay.  Probably a good idea to move there right before an election, so I have at least one under my belt before I start sending in absentee ballots.  Of course, it'd be fun to visit on the occasional election day to hang out with fellow free staters. 

Sadly, this won't be for at least another year, but I've got it near the top of my list.  I would sure feel much better about my votes meaning more in NH than UT.

I'm living on the Gold Coast in Queensland, you don't get much better weather anywhere in the world, and the beaches are beyond unbelievable in their beauty.  What brought you to Adelaide?  My wife brought me here, she's from the Sunshine Coast, up North, and lived in Utah for 14 years (and hated most every minute of it).  One more winter and one of us would probably have killed the other!

Maybe I should get Queensland to be Australia's Free State Project, that way, once I get my dual citizenship, I can be a member of both.  That's gotta be worth a cookie.

[d_goddard]

if I lived there long enough to get a driver license and register to vote (including "unregistering" from Utah) I would be okay.

Yes, that fits with my understanding as well. Driver's license is usually the key.

  Probably a good idea to move there right before an election, so I have at least one under my belt before I start sending in absentee ballots.

I don't think that's strictly necessary, but sure, it can't hurt.

What brought you to Adelaide?  My wife brought me here

Kind of a long story, I'll be happy to tell it over beers sometime.
In a nutshell, I proposed to the woman who is now my wife... and she told me that she had just accepted a job assignment for a year in Adelaide. I told her I'd follow her to the other end of the Earth if that's would it would take. It was, and I did

Maybe I should get Queensland to be Australia's Free State Project

No offense, but pardon me while I laugh my ass off.
The tax burden in Oz if FREAKIN' INSANE. The State seriously distorts virtually every major industry by virtue of its either having a State monopoly or a State-subsidized major player (water, telecoms, minerals, you name it). Where there is a market without a government-backed player, the industry is so heavily regulated, it hardly matters. Hell, in the freakin' capitol of South Australia, until 2 years ago shops on the main street were forbidden by law from staying open past 6PM. After all, someone needs to protect the workers!!

Don't get me wrong: I loved Australia. And you're right about the Gold Coast; we spent a week up there that I will never forget.
If Australia ever becomes a non-socialist country, I'll be on the first plane there.
As it is, I ain't holding my breath...

[Lloyd Danforth]

If they will take you.  My great grandfather was born in Sydney.  I think I am Greatgrandfathered-in

[lordmetroid]

I am listening to http://www.citizensoftheamericanconstitution.org/audioarchives.htm and they are interesting indeed. You can just go to the office and hand in your registration, plates, license and ask for a reciete. No more regulations for you!

[KBCraig]

Don't get me wrong: I loved Australia. And you're right about the Gold Coast; we spent a week up there that I will never forget.

I've got a mate, a fellow Enfield collector, in Mooloolaba. I've always wanted to visit, and to visit the museum at Lithgow.

[burnthebeautiful]

I'm gonna move back to Australia if I can't get to New Hampshire soon. I'll still move to New Hampshire some time, just be living in Australia in the mean time instead of Sweden. I used to live in Byron Bay, and Kyogle before that. Kyogle used to be an off the beaten path place filled with an assorted range of hippies and rednecks, which meant both drugs and guns and a huge amount of 'under the radar' types. It might be different these days, I haven't been there in a long time.

[adamwruth]

Maybe I should get Queensland to be Australia's Free State Project

No offense, but pardon me while I laugh my ass off.

No offense taken, I already lost my own ass at the idea.  In this case, the free state project would exist solely so I could say I was a part of it. 

Though, on a more encouraging note, there is one thing Australia has been doing lately, even though it's more of a "one step forward, 30 steps back kind of thing."  And that is they've been on a real de-nationalization kick over the last few years.  They're selling off a number of government owned businesses, Telstra being the biggest of them.  They've been following New Zealand in that regard, which has made quite a few reforms in the last few years.  I know it's not much in a country that has a top 45% income tax rate, nationalized health care, and extreme gun laws, but it is something.

[citizen_142002]

Liam,

I think Australia would be a good halfway state. I can see why you don't want to wait in Sweden while you go through the few years process of getting into the US.

Adam,

      I hope you "move" to New Hampshire. I'm a real estate agent in the Keene area. It isn't a bad town for a rental, because the college creates a rental shortage.
Do you have any knowledge of the LDP down there? They are new in the political ring, but it sounds like they are going to be in the next federal elections.

[adamwruth]

Do you have any knowledge of the LDP down there? They are new in the political ring, but it sounds like they are going to be in the next federal elections.

Not really, I haven't gotten much into politics down here yet.  I'll be getting my Australian citizenship in two years, so I'll be taking that time to ramp up.