Manchester, NH — New Hampshire’s House and Senate Special Redistricting Committee quietly scheduled their first public “hearing” for this coming Tuesday and failed to announce the news to the public. In response to Republicans latest attempt to shut Granite Staters out of the redistricting process, 603 Forward and All on the Line released the following statements:
“There they go again. Republican leaders in the State House are right on track to repeat the corrupt, behind closed doors process which shuts out the public and produces maps that are manipulated to benefit their party, just like in 2011,” said Lucas S. Meyer, 603 Forward Chairman. “Republican leadership has sat idle for half a year instead of actually planning and preparing for a process that prioritizes the people, not politicians. Unless Committee leadership pledges to better alert the public of these hearings, commit to remote access for testimony, and plan on holding hearings in each county after maps are drawn, we are looking at the same corrupt, chaotic, and confusing map drawing process that will unfairly rig future elections for Republican politicians.”
“Considering redistricting will impact Granite Staters daily life for the next decade, at bare minimum the hard working people of our state deserve at least 7 days notice of public hearings, a way to participate remotely, and the ability to comment on draft maps. The Granite State is home to one of the world’s largest citizen legislatures with a bipartisan tradition of robust citizen participation. Announcing hearings at the 11th hour and poorly publicizing them are at odds with who we are and is another clear example of Republican leadership prioritizing their own power over the rights of the people,” said Liz Wester with All On The Line.
Last month, 603 Forward and All On The Line called on New Hampshire lawmakers to enact fair maps accurately reflecting the Granite State’s status as a political swing state. Both of New Hampshire’s congressional districts should remain competitive, mirroring the state as a whole. The executive council maps should be redrawn to better represent communities of interest and reflect the partisan balance of the state, especially the second executive council district, which is one of the most egregious gerrymanders in state history.