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NH reps, vote for fair, non-partisan maps

By Joanne Emus - Hollis | Mar 5, 2022

On Feb. 16, the New Hampshire Senate voted 14 (R) to 10 (D) along party lines to pass the gerrymandered map for the 24 State Senate districts. Senator Kevin Avard (R, D-12) supported the new map.

The map has turned competitive districts into ones that lean Republican. Even if Democrats and Republicans each get 50% of the vote next election, with this map, the Senate will tilt 16 (R) to 8 (D), giving the Republican’s a veto-proof super majority in the Senate for the next 10 years. Bills to change voting rights, the dismantling of public education and easier access to guns, may be the results of this map passing in the House, and Gov. Chris Sununu signing it into law. In the next 10 years, the bills voted on by the New Hampshire Senate will affect our children, our elderly, our safety, our social services, our health and whether our vote will count.

There are two ways we can participate in protecting our right to a fair map.

1. Demand our majority party legislators (R) to vote not to accept the map.

Please call, write, talk, email, text your GOP representatives to vote against the map when it goes to the House for a vote

2. Demand that the governor veto the map. Visit https://www.governor.nh.gov/contact-us.

He already has said, “Absolutely, absolutely I’d veto. If it doesn’t pass the smell test, and it looks like gerrymandering districts, of course, I’m going to veto that.” – July, 2021 WMUR

Here is the written statement by Olivia Zink, executive director of Open Democracy Action after the Feb. 16 vote: “Unless he vetoes these bills, Gov. Sununu can no longer say there are just a few examples of gerrymandering in New Hampshire, as he did in his 2019 and 2020 vetoes of an independent redistricting commission. In fact, all the proposed maps have so far been gerrymandered for partisan advantage, making districts uncompetitive and locking in incumbents.”

Ten years ago, public awareness might not have been at the level it is today, but the maps were also drawn in secret without as much of a chance for public input as we had this time around. Ten years ago, the public was given little choice in the redistricting process. This past year, The resolution for fair non-partisan maps, passed in 74 towns representing 561,000 voters who have spoken for fair, competitive maps. Majority party representatives, your constituents are paying attention. If our voices aren’t heard now, they will be heard at the polls.

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