“All government of right originates from the people, is founded in consent, and instituted for the general good.” That’s Article 1 of the New Hampshire Constitution, and it’s guiding my choices in the upcoming election. I hope it will guide yours, too.

New Hampshire Democratic candidates are standing up for institutions and practices that serve the “general good” – like neighborhood public schools, affordable and accessible health care, free school lunches for all children who need them, and investment in renewable energy to reduce the economic, environmental and health-related impacts of our over-reliance on fossil fuels.

Sadly, the New Hampshire Republican Party has leaned away from concern for the common good (some even call the idea “Marxist”) and toward the Free State principle that “we’re each on our own.” As a result, we’ve seen extreme measures, signed by Gov. Chris Sununu, like the expansive voucher bill that takes millions of tax dollars from public education and sends them to private and religious schools that are unaccountable to taxpayers footing the bill.

The Republican-led Senate killed a bill that would have expanded access to free school lunches for 7,000 students from low income families, and the Republican majority of the Executive Council defunded Planned Parenthood’s programs that offered preventive care like cancer screenings and birth control. Meanwhile, the climate crisis has been virtually ignored by Republicans, including the Governor who, incidentally, gets significant campaign funding from fossil fuel companies.

This year, for the common good, vote for Democrats up and down the ballot!