SLAY THE DRAGON follows everyday people, outraged by what they see as an attack on the core democratic principle that every person’s vote should count equally. This election year, we’re joining together with grassroots partners to put an end to gerrymandering. Because this issue impacts each state differently, we’ve created a map to help you navigate how gerrymandering affects your state and community. SLAY THE DRAGON arrives on demand April 3.
Click on your state in the map above to find out what’s going on and how you can help.
We are partnering with organizations in Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin to support the creation of non-partisan redistricting commissions to protect votes across the country.
Click on your state in the map above to find out what’s going on and how you can help.
We are partnering with organizations in Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin to support the creation of non-partisan redistricting commissions to protect votes across the country.
SLAY THE DRAGON follows everyday people, outraged by what they see as an attack on the core democratic principle that every person’s vote should count equally. This election year, we’re joining together with grassroots partners to put an end to gerrymandering. Because this issue impacts each state differently, we’ve created a map to help you navigate how gerrymandering affects your state and community. SLAY THE DRAGON arrives on demand April 3.
Click on your state in the map above to find out what’s going on and how you can help.
We are partnering with organizations in Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin to support the creation of non-partisan redistricting commissions to protect votes across the country.
Click on your state in the map above to find out what’s going on and how you can help.
We are partnering with organizations in Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin to support the creation of non-partisan redistricting commissions to protect votes across the country.
What’s going on in New Hampshire
Process
State Legislature
New Hampshire's state legislative and congressional districts are drawn by the Legislature by ordinary statute, and are subject to the governor's veto. The Legislature can override vetoes with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
Criteria
In addition to the federal requirements of one person, one vote and the Voting Rights Act, New Hampshire’s state constitution (2nd §§ 11, 26) requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and preserve political subdivisions. There are no state law requirements for drawing congressional districts.
Public Input
While New Hampshire law does not require public hearings, the legislative redistricting committee held ten hearings in October 2011. It is likely that there will be similar opportunities for public input in 2021.
Issues
Pitfalls
Currently, New Hampshire's redistricting process has split partisan control. All seats in both legislative chambers are up in 2020, as is the Governorship. A Republican gubernatorial win will lead to continued bipartisan control over redistricting. A Democratic win will lead to single-party control, which may increase the risk of partisan gerrymandering. Irrespective of party, however, electing a voting rights ally to the Governorship in 2020 will be critical to ensuring New Hampshire has fair maps in the next decade.
Census Delays
- State legislative redistricting plan deadline: by the end of the regular session following the census; likely July 1, 2021 (2nd §§ 11, 26)
- Congressional redistricting plan deadline: no statutory deadline
The Census Bureau may delay sending population data to states until as late as July 31, 2021. In the case of delay, New Hampshire would be unable to meet its state legislative redistricting deadline. The Legislature would need to adjust its date of legislative adjournment and extend its regular session. The delay should not affect congressional redistricting, as New Hampshire has no deadline as well as late primaries.
Reform
After passing the Senate with a 15-9 vote on June 29, 2020, House Bill 1665 went to the desk of Governor Sununu. Unfortunately, Gov. Sununu vetoed the bill. The bill would create a 15-member advisory commission, establish ranked redistricting criteria, and set public input rules. While HB1665 passed both chambers, it did not reach a veto-proof majority, which may prove fatal. In 2019, Governor Sununu vetoed a similar redistricting reform bill, HB706, which would have created a 15-member independent redistricting commission and passed the Legislature with bipartisan support. An attempt at overriding the veto failed in September. Still, HB1665 may fare better, as it is an amended version of HB706 that resolves Governor Sununu’s constitutional concerns.
History
In the 2011 cycle, five lawsuits against state House districts over division of municipalities were consolidated before the state Supreme Court, which dismissed them all. The Court found that the splitting of townships was justified for the purpose of achieving smaller population deviations.
Actions
In 2020, support state legislative and gubernatorial candidates who favor fair districting.
In 2021, participate in the Legislature’s public input process.
- Obtain New Hampshire redistricting data from OpenPrecincts.
- Start to plan out what defines your community – whether it’s a shared economic interest, school districts, or other social or other cultural, historical, or economic interests – and how that can be represented on a map. This will come in handy once the Legislature starts collecting feedback. Use software tools such as Dave's Redistricting App and Districtr to draw district maps showing either (a) what a fair map would look like, or (b) where the community you believe should be better represented is located.
Contacts
Data provided by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project