Vote against both ballot questions
There are two questions on this year’s ballot, and I am asking voters to reject both.
The first ballot question asks if the voters would like to amend Articles 71 and 81 of the NH Constitution. What is not stated is that the effect of this amendment would be to eliminate the Register of Probate position.
This position affects everyone. Unfortunately, in 2011, most of the responsibilities of this position, which include providing customer service to our families and assisting them with filing information related to deaths, were shifted to the judicial branch leaving a large gap in services that help those in need complete the probate process. Currently, residents, who are often elderly, are required to navigate an electronic system in order to do their probate filing or are told to hire a costly attorney. This would be unnecessary if we had functioning Registers of Probate. Several people are working to try to restore the customer service functions of this position. A no vote on this question would allow us to continue that work.
The second ballot question asks if we would like to hold a convention to amend the NH Constitution under Article 100. The New Hampshire Constitution requires this question to be put on the ballot every ten years. Given the currently divided nature of our society, such a convention would prove contentious and divide us further. Please vote no on this amendment as well.