Voting
Congressional Black Caucus calls for Senate action on voting rights
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Senate Democrats on Thursday to push for the swift passage of two voting rights bills, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus are applying pressure for action as well. During a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, caucus Chair Joyce Beatty said that members […]
Redistricting listening sessions did little to influence House-approved maps
The New Hampshire House last week approved the Republican-backed plans for redistricting the congressional, House of Representatives, and county commissioner districts. Nonpartisan watchdog groups have decried the congressional maps for gerrymandering: making the 1st Congressional District more friendly to Republicans and the 2nd District more firmly Democratic. And criticism has also been leveled at the […]
Activists on right and left prepare for fierce school board elections
For parents considering a run for school board next spring, 603 Alliance is ready. The conservative activist group is setting up candidate trainings across the state over the next few weeks. But first, candidates will have to answer a few questions. “They have to be accepted,” said Fran Wendelboe, managing director of the group. “They […]
Commentary: New Hampshire’s congressional districts must be competitive – not rigged monopolies
“That’s all we’re asking for: an end to the antidemocratic and un-American practice of gerrymandering congressional districts. … The fact is, gerrymandering has become a national scandal.” – President Ronald Reagan As someone who believes in the power of competition and the free market, I am appalled by the proposed map for New Hampshire’s congressional […]
In drawing new House maps, a divide over the definition of fair
The maps that will shape elections for the next decade made their way out of a special committee last week and are heading to the full House for a vote. But while the dramatic changes to the congressional maps have taken center stage, nonpartisan observers have their eyes on issues with the House maps that […]
House Republicans stand by proposed overhaul of state’s congressional districts
Republicans on New Hampshire’s House Redistricting Committee stood by a proposal Thursday to dramatically reshape the state’s two congressional districts, batting back concerns from Democrats that the draft map would make congressional campaigns less competitive. Over a 40-minute discussion session, Democratic representatives challenged Republicans over the unusual shape of the proposed map, which would wrap […]
The challenge of redistricting in rural New Hampshire
There’s a lot of things one might glean from living out of a camper van and traveling around the country for a year and a half. For Chichester native Dave Andrews, the main takeaway was that the political system in the United States is flawed. And by the time the trip was over, he had […]
With redistricting underway, citizens raise their voices about lack of representation
Strafford County has a problem when it comes to representation and redistricting. The county serves as the head of the dragon-shaped Executive Council District 2 – a visible example of how gerrymandering can “pack” like-minded voters, Democrats in this case, into a district that stretches across the state. But not all of the problems stemming […]
What will the new census data mean for the state’s two congressional districts?
When the U.S. Census Bureau released raw data for New Hampshire’s once-in-a-decade count, the numbers revealed a slowly diversifying state, whose population is growing in the Seacoast area but shrinking in the north and west. But the numbers also set the stage for a redistricting effort, one that could affect the state’s congressional representation. According […]