Episode 32767: Open Democracy Minute for July 5, 2021: NH Special Committee on Redistricting Struggling to be Transparent

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. The U.S. Census Bureau will release town-level population data in its legacy format beginning in August. Last Tuesday, the NH legislature's Special Committee on Redistricting which will use that data to draw new voting maps met for the second time. The meeting resulted in one step forward for transparency and two steps back.  The committee announced its plans for a website to share redistricting maps and materials, a step forward. But it also announced that it would use the same home-grown software used in the 2011 redistricting effort which resulted in gerrymandered NH House, Senate and Executive Council districts, and the committee refused to allow the public to inspect the software, citing “licensing” issues. The House-appointed committee also signaled that it would refuse to take in-person public input. This would include towns which did not receive their constitutionally-guaranteed NH House districts, or from citizens harmed when traditionally-linked towns with important “communities of interest” were split last time. Such input will now have to be submitted in writing.  All this after 71 New Hampshire towns have passed the NH Resolution for Fair, Nonpartisan Redistricting, which calls for full transparency in the process.  Gerrymandering is a redistricting process gone bad, manipulating the maps for partisan purposes. It's a thumb on the scale of fair elections, and its results silence the true will of the people. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. r