As we approach election season, we are coming to races unique to New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Executive Council’s 2nd District is going to be up for election this fall.
A vestige of N.H.’s colonial government, N.H. is currently the only New England state to still have its executive council. Functioning as the governor’s cabinet, the executive council is one of the most influential parts of government as they approve appointments for government positions. They also are the second-highest-paid elected positions, save the governor’s office, with a salary of around $16,000 per term plus travel expenses, according to a 2021 report from Wayne State University’s Levin Center.
One of the most unique aspects of the N.H. executive council currently is the layout of districts. The most recent district map was updated by the Republican-led N.H. General Court after the 2020 census. The post-census redistricting has left the map looking like a poster child for gerrymandering. It almost looks fake; the keyword is “almost” though.
District 2, the district up for election, is a shoo-in for Democrats. Unfortunately, it is the only district Dems will win for the next 10 years. All major population centers in Western and Central NH (Concord, Keene, Hanover and their surrounding communities) have now been all placed in District 2.
This disenfranchises tens of thousands of Democratic voters who are living in such lopsided districts. This is all for the political gains of conservative politicians who must resort to unethical actions because their policies are so unappealing they would lose if they actually had to run on them.
Political chicanery of this degree is so incredibly frustrating to endure; it leaves a bitter taste in the voter’s mouth and sows distrust in the political system. If a Democratic-led general court had drawn up a map that was so lopsided conservative politicians would be howling over it, and rightfully so. Yet Democratic candidates and elected Democrats are not making nearly as much of a fuss over such a transgression. It shows the voters how flimsy conservative policies are where this unfair advantage must be made and Democrats should be leaning hard into this messaging.
N.H. should do one of two things going forward to remedy the problem. Option one is to eliminate the executive council altogether. Option two is that government districts be drawn by an independent election board.
Eliminating the executive council seems like the logical first solution. No other New England state has an executive council currently and the functions of government they provide can be taken over by the N.H. General Court. Having an independent election board draw up new district maps after the decennial census also seems like a logical first step.
Assuming the executive council is not eliminated, or even if it is, having independently-drawn maps would lead to more fair and even-handedness in the process. It would give a certain legitimacy to the process as well, boosting public confidence in our political system.
Timothy Fitzpatrick can be contacted at
tfitzpatrick@kscequinox.com
