Open Democracy Minute

You're listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping our government by and for the people. After months of promising an open and fair process, the NH Senate Election Law Committee voted last Monday to recommend two rigged voting districts for U.S. Congress and NH Executive Council to the full Senate. The NH Senate will vote on the gerrymandered maps on Thursday, March 17. Amendments to these maps have been rumored for months, but Republican party hardliners pressured the Election Law Committee to make no changes, despite almost universal condemnation in hearings in the NH House and Senate committees. The Congressional map gerrymanders to make both districts uncompetitive, guaranteeing the outcome of the election. The Executive Council map is a repeat of the 2010 “Dragon District,” which packs liberal-leaning towns into District 2, leaving adjoining districts more conservative. While Governor Chris Sununu has made statements asking for a redrawing of the maps, there is no evidence that the Governor's office has made counter proposals. It looks increasingly as if his comments were orchestrated for political cover rather than protection on the voters.  Whether floor amendments will be proposed Thursday is an open question. If the maps are approved, they head to Governor Sununu's desk.  Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the American Democracy Minute, I'm  Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.   It will be a light schedule in the NH Legislature this week, but we have a heavy topic to discuss:  “Provisional Ballots”. Senate Bill 418 had a hearing a few weeks ago and is coming up for a committee vote on March 7.   One of many “Stop the Steal” Big Lie bills this term, SB 418 aims to do away with New Hampshire’s system allowing a voter who doesn’t have all the necessary domicile documents or acceptable ID to sign a “Qualified Voter Affidavit,” vote, and have that vote count.   Doing so means you are subject to investigation by the Attorney General’s office, and potential fines or imprisonment if you lie.   SB 418 throws that system out, requiring any voter without those documents to fill out a “provision ballot” which does NOT count, unless you return within 14 days, incidentally after most elections have been called.  It also makes the ballot a different color and numbers it, ending the anonymity of the ballot.  AND, all voters who register same day, which in 2020 was just over 99,000 Granite Staters, would be subject to the same rule, as the town or city clerk verifies the registration information after the fact.   What’s this all about?   Who would keep 20% of voters from voting?   This voter suppression tactic targets young voters, particularly college students, to keep them from exercising their freedom to vote. NH Senators’ phone numbers can be found at the NH General Court website at gencourt.state.nh.us/ As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.   We billed last week’s report as a “reckoning” for NH Redistricting, which turned out to be only partially true.  February 14, as expected, the majority in NH Senate Election Law & Municipal Affairs committee did approve a modestly amended NH House redistricting map which denied 54 towns their own House districts, and a rigged NH Senate map proposal which locks in 15 to 16 majority seats – a veto-proof majority in a very purple state.  Then on February 16, the full NH Senate adopted both the maps, with the House maps returning to the House for a “concur” vote at the next full House session, and the NH Senate maps headed to a NH House Election Law committee which unlikely to find its moral compass. We HAD expected action on the Executive Council and Congressional maps, but the latest would indicate we won’t see any further action in the NH Senate until March.   Governor Chris Sununu has made statements that he would like both heavily gerrymandered maps changed.   Others in his party are urging the Senate Election Law & Municipal Affairs committee to make no changes and keep the rigged districts. Voters, despite hundreds testifying against the maps, have so far been ignored. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.  We expect a week of reckoning on the NH redistricting process.   Public statements by Governor Chris Sununu asked for changes to the gerrymandered Congressional map, one of a suite of rigged maps for NH Senate, Executive Council and NH House.   The House and Senate maps have now been approved by the Senate Election Law committee along party lines, and will be taken up by the full Senate this Wednesday.  Then HB 50 and SB 240 go back to the House, which is expected to “concur” on the amendments made last week.   For the Congressional and Executive Council maps, however, we are expecting a committee vote Monday, Jan. 14.  Whether we get amendments improving these maps is still not clear, and due to NH Senate rules, the public may not get another hearing, even if the substantial changes are made.  Last week’s amendment to HB 50 wasn’t available until the meeting started, no map was ever produced, and while the text of the amendment was finally shared - four days AFTER it was voted on in committee.  The redistricting process has been just about as transparent as a NH mud season.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.  A small but vocal group of Stop the Steal activists have been making the rounds in New Hampshire.  As a voter, you have reason to be concerned. For some weeks, proponents of the Big Lie of voter fraud narrative have been organizing a “petitioned warrant article” in 20 towns around the state which use the annual “Town Meeting” format.   This warrant article would remove the use of voting machines in town elections, under the misguided assertion that these optical ballot reading machines are subject to hacking and fraud.  This theory has been discredited, and a first attempt in the back in December 2021, the effort was defeated by sensible voters in the Town of Greenland, 1070 to 20.    Problem is, this Stop the Steal faction forgot to consult with the moderators, town clerks, supervisors of the checklist and ballot clerks who are the backbone of New Hampshire’s election system.   Ballot counting machines are more accurate, save hours of time, save taxpayer dollars, and have been proven over years of use to be very reliable.   More alarming, is the state legislature, where legislators who know better have proposed bills trying to restrict voting machines and require the use of paper ballots.  While the people espousing these bills might not understand, the legislators know that the true aim of these bills is to undermine our election system and implement deliberate barriers to voting.       As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.   A fascinating NH Senate Election Law & Municipal Affairs committee hearing on Monday, as the House-approved Congressional & NH House voting districts had a public hearing.   The House-approved HB 50 NH House district map has been updated with an amendment, giving one more rep to Manchester, changing a district in Concord, and giving Berlin its own House district.  Chairwoman Barbara Griffin also indicated that there is another amendment pending, which would give two unspecified towns in Rockingham County their own House districts. No amendments yet on the rigged HB 52 Congressional voting district map, which rendered both CD 1 and C2 uncompetitive.  Governor Chris Sununu has asked for the map to be changed, but reportedly there have been no amendments or conversations between the Governor’s office and the committee.  Behind the scenes there have been compromise amendments for both the gerrymandered Congressional and NH Senate districts which would make the maps competitive again, but so far there has been no indication that the Republican majority will budge from the rigged maps.   Voters testifying at the hearing almost universally condemned the maps, as majority appeared disinterested in their comments.   Observers think that the Senate committee will vote on the proposals within the next two weeks, and the full Senate the week after.  IAs Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.  Happy Granny D Day, honoring America’s campaign finance reformer Doris “Granny D” Haddock on her January 24 birthday.   There are two good bills in the NH Legislature this week, after the two previous weeks of Big Lie-fueled voter suppression bills.   On Monday, January 24, the NH Senate hears SB 425, a reintroduction of 2021 proposal for an online voter information portal.   This would allow voters to directly upload registration documents, changes of address, or a change of party affiliation into a NH Secretary of State administered database, where town & city clerks would review the information before approval.  Such a system would be more convenient to voters, and save local election officials time and money, but it was killed last year by anti-democracy legislators in the NH House. Then on Thursday, January 27, the NH House Judiciary committee considers HB 1014, which would allow the public to testify via Zoom, but would also allow legislators to be able to participate and vote remotely.   A lawsuit is also pending in the NH courts which would allow immuno-compromised legislators to participate remotely.    Pandemic aside, when interactive online access was used in 2020 and early 2021, the number of voters testifying and listening surged.   As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.    It’s only January 17th, and already this year the majority in the NH House has passed gerrymandered House & Congressional maps, and introduced several bills based on fabricated accusations of voter fraud.    HB 1542 and SB 418 try to bypass New Hampshire’s Qualified Voter Affidavit, which allows registering voters who are missing a piece of documentation to vote and have it count.  The proposed provisional ballot system, used in other voter suppression states like Texas, could disenfranchise a voter unless they come back with the document that day. HB 1567 would allow citizens to bring lawsuits against their election officials if they perceive that the election official did something with which they don’t agree.   Several bills heard last week are attempting to stop the use of ballot counting machines, instead, demanding that all ballots be on paper, and that all ballots be counted by hand in even our largest cities.   NH election officials are understandably alarmed, because such a reckless move would make counting ballots take longer, be less accurate, and cost more money. Hearings on some of these Big Lie bills take place this week in NH House & Senate Election law. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.    The NH House had its full session last week, Jan 5th, 6th & 7th and started with parliamentary trickery by moving their redistricting bills from Thursday to Wednesday.  With 20 Democrats not voting, the gerrymandered Congressional districts were passed with a 22-vote margin.  House district maps, which did NOT give 56 eligible towns their own districts were also passed and sent to the Senate.     Monday, January 10 the NH Senate holds hearings on its proposed NH Senate and Executive Council districts.  The Map-a-Thon Citizen mapping project has reviewed both and found both maps to be gerrymandered and uncompetitive. In surprise news, NH Secretary of State William Gardner announced that he would step down after 45 years.  His deputy, David Scalan, will be sworn in Monday until elections are held in December 2022.    U.S. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer announced last week that he would press to make changes to the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act by the Martin Luther King holiday.  Senators Shaheen and Hassan have both pledged to make the changes and pass the bills. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.    A big week in redistricting coming up in New Hampshire.  The full NH House meets this Wednesday, Thursday and possibly Friday to consider overrides on gubernatorial vetoes, votes on bills retained in committee at the end of the 2021 session, and redistricting bills. We’ve been keeping you up-to-date on developments with the partisan manipulation of the NH House and Congressional districts. Thursday January 6th will be the test of whether there are enough conscientious Republican legislators to defeat a map which has been gerrymandered to ensure a GOP congressional seat in District 1.  Then on January 10, 1-4 pm, the NH Senate takes public input on its proposed Executive Council and NH Senate voting maps.  The text amendments have been released, but no graphics maps from Senate Election Law  committee so far.  The public may give in-person or in-writing testimony on the maps, which will be posted to OpenDemocracyAction.org later this week. There’s no schedule yet on a full NH Senate vote on the bills, but contact information if available for House & Senate members at  http://gencourt.state.nh.us As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.     While we await the return of the U.S. Senate to Washington for further action on the filibuster rules and the Freedom to Vote Act, back here in New Hampshire, the gerrymandered Congressional and House voting district map proposals come up for a full NH House vote on January 6 or 7.   An almost unanimous torrent of letters to the editor, op-eds, and editorials have called for fair maps and for the gerrymandered proposals to be thrown out.   And votes earlier this year in 74 NH towns and cities representing 561,000 Granite Staters, have asked for a fair, nonpartisan and transparent mapping process.  They didn’t get it.   The Congressional maps are the most radical change in 140 years, shifting 75 towns and 365,000 people from one district to another, gerrymandering District 2 to pack it with Democratic towns, leaving District 1 to be a Republican stronghold.    House maps were also manipulated to a lesser degree, combining towns to dilute areas which leaned Democrat in past elections, and for 56 towns with 3,444 population or more, ignoring the NH Constitution guaranteeing dedicated House districts. The phone numbers and emails of your NH House representatives can be found at gencourt.state.nh.us  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.    After months of letters, calls and emails from constituents asking her to change or abolish the filibuster, and to support the Freedom to Vote Act, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan came out forcefully this past week on the Senate floor, and in a subsequent interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.   (Recording of U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan) Advocates are hopeful that her new position will help move other senators to support a “carve out” for democracy-related bills so the Freedom to Vote Act can be passed.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.    This past week, President Joe Biden convened the Summit for Democracy, a virtual meeting of world democracies.  Democracy activists in the U.S. are hopeful that President Biden will do what it takes to protect democratic institutions by pressuring the US Senate to pass pending democracy legislation.   Here are a portion of his remarks:       “Democracy doesn’t happen by accident.  We have to renew it with each generation.  And this is an urgent matter on all our parts, in my view.  Because the data we’re seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction.      Freedom House reports, in 2020, that it marked the 15th consecutive year of global freedom in retreat.      Another recent report, from the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance, noted that more than half of all democracies have experienced a decline in at least one aspect of their democracy over the last 10 years, including the United States. . . . .      And perhaps most importantly and worrying of all — most worrying of all, by increasing the dissatisfaction of people all around the world with democratic governments that they feel are failing to deliver for their needs.      In my view, this is the defining challenge of our time.” -- President Joe Biden  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Holidays or no, there is one month left before the full NH House votes on the gerrymandered Congressional maps, and NH House maps that kept 53 NH towns from getting their own Constitutionally-guaranteed districts.   Activist groups around the state have commenced calling state representatives to make sure they attend the January 6th full House session, and asking for their positions on the maps.   An unconfirmed report said the sessions may be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Manchester, rather than the State House.   Information on how to contact your state rep can be found at http://gencourt.state.nh.us/ Also in redistricting news, a public hearing on the City of Manchester’s redistricted ward lines will be held Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 5:30 pm in the Aldermanic chambers.  New Hampshire’s redistricting is based in part on these ward lines, but as just mentioned, the maps are already drawn.  Many cities have not finished reallocating their wards, which for some cities means a change in the city charter.   Manchester, Nashua and Lebanon are among the first to near completion.  Whether these wards change the State’s maps is yet to be seen.   As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. While New Hampshire activists gear up to fight the NH GOP-proposed gerrymandered voting districts, the bill in Washington which would end gerrymandering, the Freedom to Vote Act, has been blocked so far by a GOP filibuster in the U.S. Senate. The last attempt to debate it was November 3rd, and since then, other Biden administration priorities have taken the front seat, like infrastructure and now, another round of debt-ceiling negotiations.    As a result, there has been an increasing chorus to either end the filibuster, or carve out an exception for Democracy reform.  President Biden expressed his support for changes to the filibuster, but so far has not pressured his former colleagues to get on with it and make the changes necessary.    With more actions by governors in Texas, Florida and Georgia making voting harder, and blatant gerrymandering proposed in multiple states for voting districts, fixing the filibuster may be the last best hope to avoid a rigging of the elections the likes of which America has not witnessed in the last century.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. More information is available at OpenDemocracyNH.org

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Hearings in the NH House Special Committee on Redistricting were held last week on proposed Democratic and Republican maps for NH House, U.S. Congress, and County Commissions.    The bombshell GOP map proposal that severely gerrymandered the Congressional maps spurred outrage and almost universal condemnation.   And despite a fair maps resolution in 74 towns representing 561,000 Granite Staters, and hundreds of voters testifying for a fair process,  the majority on the committee seems poised to ignore the voters and rig the maps for the next 10 years. The committee has executive sessions Tuesday & Wednesday, Nov, 16th & 17th beginning at 10 am at the Legislative Office Building in Concord to make their final amendments and vote on the proposals, sending them out for a full House vote in January. Some good news last Friday as the NH House Election Law committee acted on several retained bills from earlier this year.   The committee voted “interim study on these onerous bills:  HB 554, which would have set new rules defining who has temporary domicile for voting purposes which targeted students; HB 535, which proposed eliminating the “Qualified Voter Affidavit” which allows people to attest to their identity and vote if they forgot a document, but under penalty of a fine and jail time;  and HB 531, which would have replaced the  Qualified Voter Affidavit with a “Provisional Ballot” which the voter fills out but which wouldn’t count unless they returned that day with the missing document.   While dead for this year, expect more bills based on the debunked Stop the Steal voter fraud narrative next year. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. After months of claiming there would be a fair, transparent process, the majority in the NH House Special Committee on redistricting dropped a gerrymandering bomb on the voting districts for US Congress. Earlier this year, a widely-reported comment by NH GOP chair Steve Stepanek predicted that because his party controlled redistricting, he could guarantee a Conservative in Congressional District 1, which has covered about one third of the eastern portion of the state and the larger cities.  The proposal released last Wednesday night packs Democratic-leaning towns into District 2, including Keene, Concord and Plymouth, then wraps around to the Seacoast to include Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth & Durham.  This makes the district uncompetitive, allowing Democrats to dominate while throwing the voting power of Republican voters in the district under the bus. District 1, was also made uncompetitive, by switching Republican-leaning towns at the Massachusetts border into CD1, giving Republicans an advantage despite the inclusion of Manchester & Nashua.   So much so, that even the NH Union Leader wrote an editorial questioning its motives. Hearings on the Congressional and House map proposals from both the Democrats and Republicans will be held Tuesday, Nov. 9, 10 AM, and Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 5 PM, at the NH State House.   More information at OpenDemocracyAction.org’s events page. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. This past weekend, the Map-a-Thon Coaltion, a group of over 250 NH voters who have been working since May, released their NH House voting district maps for review by the public.  The group had previously released maps for the NH Executive Council, NH Senate and U.S. Congress.   The maps can be found at OpenDemocracyNH.org. Also in NH redistricting this week are two days of House Special Committee on Redistricting work sessions on Wednesday and Thursday 10-1, where committee members are submitting maps for discussion.   Behind the scenes, though, both Republican party and Democratic party operatives have been busy creating maps for their party to submit.   Don’t be surprised if there is a last minute submission, trying to fly past public scrutiny, as happened during the process in 2011, when the public had 24 hours of review before the vote occurred. Then, apparently, there are two public hearings in Concord on either November 8th & 9th, or 9th & 10th, to review the maps on which the committee will vote. Eight days before the hearing, there is no confirmation of this.  And, appallingly, these maps will only be on paper, not in electronic form, making it harder for the public to see.   The final steps are executive sessions on November 16 & 17, when the committee makes its final  amendments and votes.  Because the committee has been less than forthright with its information, vigilance is required. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. As expected, the move to debate the Freedom to Vote Act in the US Senate was stonewalled with the filibuster, adding more pressure to change or abolish the archaic Senat rule. Eager to get a win, even President Biden expressed openness to changing the filibuster rules in an interview last week.    This week, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act comes up for its first vote in the US Senate.  The highly polarized Senate is expected to again invoke the filibuster’s 60-vote margin rule to block debate on restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act rules stripped out by the Supreme Court in 2013.   In NH democracy news, the final county hearings for the House and Senate redistricting committees were held last week,  with residents of Hillsborough and Belknap counties speaking up for their constitutionally-guaranteed House districts, and a fair, nonpartisan process.   Those hearings were followed on Wednesday by a House Special Committee on Redistricting work session which laid out a timetable for finishing the committee’s work.  The members were asked to have draft maps by work sessions scheduled for Nov. 3rd & 4th. Two public hearings will also be held in the State House on either November 8th and 9th, or 9th & 10th.  It is unclear whether online testimony will be allowed, despite high COVID numbers and disruptions and threats from anti-mandate protesters.   As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. It appears that the Freedom to Vote Act will get its first of a number of votes in the U.S. Senate later this week.   The first move will be to allow debate on the Freedom to Vote Act, which allow the larger public to learn more about the bill’s protection of the voting rights, stopping efforts to make voting harder, protecting absentee voting, and making election day a national holiday.   Unfortunately, debate on these popular issues will likely be blocked by Senate Republicans using the  filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to bypass.   Blockage may finally stir conservative Democrats to make changes to the filibuster rules to allow democracy issues to be passed by a simple majority.    This week is also the last week of in-county redistricting hearings, with hearings Monday night in Goffstown for Hillsborough County, and Tuesday night in Laconia for Belknap County.   Advocates have been asking for an additional round of hearings when the legislature’s maps are completed, which the House Special Committee Chair has vowed not to allow. The Hillsborough County hearing will be held at Goffstown High School at 6 pm Monday, and Belknap County at the Belknap Mill in Laconia, also at 6 pm. More information on the hearings can be found at OpenDemocracyAction.org  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm  Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Updates again this week on the Freedom to Vote Act, and NH redistricting. Both are critical to restoring honest elections in New Hampshire, and both are under threat by anti-voter factions. The Freedom to Vote Act took a blow this week from the NH Municipal Association, which cited concerns that the early voting requirements would require smaller towns to add too many hours of staff time. But that view may be shortsighted, since the Freedom to Vote Act also adds online voter registration options, offsetting those hours by making the voter registration process more efficient, and there is federal support for municipalities to implement these election changes. The Freedom to Vote Act, like many other important bills, is stalled by the filibuster rules in the U.S. Senate, and is still pending its vote in the Senate before going to the House. This week's in-county hearings by the NH House and Senate redistricting committees are Tuesday, 6 pm in Keene, Wednesday, 6 pm in Claremont, and Thursday, 6 pm in North Conway. These are public hearings where voters can voice their concerns for a fair redistricting process, if their town didn't get it's own constitutionally-guaranteed House district, or if they don't like the town with which they are districted. More information on the hearings can be found at OpenDemocracyAction.org  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm  Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. First a national update. The For the People Act, now revised as a new bill called the Freedom to Vote Act has been put on the back burner while dealing with the debt ceiling, and while Democrats squabble over the size and scope of the social infrastructure bill.  Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell welcomes this distraction and hopes the clock will run out on the Freedom to Vote Act, which would set minimum standards for U.S elections, modernize voter registration, disclose Dark Money donors, and set up an optional small-donor election funding system for Congressional races. It is increasingly clear that hopes for protecting American Democracy depend on changing or doing away with the archaic filibuster rules.  There are two important state issues as well this week. On Tuesday & Thursday, the NH House & Senate redistricting committees hold hearings in Rockingham and Coos Counties. These will likely be your only opportunities to call for a fair, nonpartisan process, or to call out the committee for its 2011 violations of the NH Constitution which kept 62 towns from getting their own House Districts – 11 of which were in Rockingham County. Then Wednesday, Oct 6, the NH House Election Law Committee takes up retained bills, one of which takes away “domicile” from students living in dorms in the state. The work session starts at 10 AM at the Legislative Office Building in Concord.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm  Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Two down, seven more to go. With the Merrimack & Strafford county hearings complete, there was not, unsurprisingly, a single person who testified that gerrymandering New Hampshire's voting districts was a good idea. Instead, voters talked about how their town was districted with a town with which they had nothing in common, or that they were denied their own dedicated House district in violation of the NH Constitution. If you have something to say about how your town, county or state should be redistricted, more public listening sessions will be held in the coming weeks:  This week, on Sep 28 2021 6:00PM – in the Grafton County Superior Court, North Haverhill Sep 30 6:00PM – at the NH Institute of Politics Auditorium at St. Aselm's college Oct 5 6:00PM – in the Rockingham County Superior Courthouse in Brentwood Oct 7, 6:00PM – in the Coos County Superior Court, Lancaster Oct 12 6:00PM -in the Cheshire County Hall, Keene Oct 13 6:00PM -Claremont Savings Bank Community Center- Claremont, Oct 14 6:00PM - Kennett High School, North Conway So far, no session for Belknap county has been scheduled. More information about attending, testifying, or testifying in writing to the Special Committee on Redistricting can be found at OpenDemocracyAction.org in the events section of the website.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.” 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. This Wednesday is the second public “listening session” for the Special Committee on Redistricting, held at the Strafford County Courthouse at 6 p.m. Sept. 22. At last week's hearing in Merrimack County, citizens testifying asked for a fair process, citing the 74 towns which passed the NH Resolution for Fair, Nonpartisan Redistricting. They also called out the committee for 2011's Executive Council District 2, and reminded the partisan-led committee that NH can and should have an independent redistricting commission to avoid the partisan rancor.  Missing from the testimony last week was demands from any of the 62 NH towns which are eligible for their own House district, but did not receive it in 2011. There are mathematical reasons in some cases, but many cases it was a best lazy map-making, and at worst, partisan gerrymandering.  The Map-a-Thon citizen mapping project has reduced that number from 62 to 25. To date, the only hearings scheduled have been last week's Merrimack County, September 22nd's Strafford County, and September 30th's at St. Anselm's College in Hillsborough County . For more information can be found about these meetings, and the Map-a-Thon Project, at OpenDemocracyNH.org As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm  Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. While the state legislature's Special Committee on Redistricting has just started learning how to use its software, the Map-a-Thon citizen mapping project is already busy collecting information and drawing fair, nonpartisan maps. Its next meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. Job one for the Map-a-Thon participants was to help collect data called “Communities of Interest”-- important features which bind towns together, including regional school districts, shared services and common interests. These are factors that the legislature should consider, but have ignored in the past. Using Communities of Interest data, the NH Constitution's requirements, NH Supreme Court decisions, and other fair mapping data, a criteria was established for each of the NH House, Senate, Executive Council, and U.S. Congress districts. Using specialized publicly-available software, the Map-a-Thon's maps are being constructed by a volunteer team of engineers, data analysts and GIS mapping experts from throughout NH.  The first maps will be shown to the public on September 7, feedback given, changes made, and another review on September 21. After the final tweeks, the maps will be distributed to the public and the press, on October 1st and are expected to draw a stark contrast to the maps drawn by partisan legislators. The public is invited to participate in the Map-a-Thon meetings on Zoom by registering at OpenDemocracyNH.org/calendar As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm  Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. This week's minute was supposed to be about the citizen-drawn redistricting map project called the Map-a-Thon, which meets on Sept. 7, but that will have to wait another week.  Instead, the NH House Special Committee on Redistricting met last Wednesday for the first time since the release of 2020 U.S. Census data. Activists and voters around the state hopeful for a transparent meeting, were sadly disappointed. The author of the local, home grown software chosen by the committee for drawing maps discussed his tool and distributed a copy of it to legislators. However, the discussion showed that the software was incomplete, and had bugs that the author freely admitted. It didn't exactly inspire confidence, but at least he was transparent. The public won't be able to inspect the software.  Next on the agenda, a discussion of what were public hearings 10 years ago, are now “public listening sessions” in NH's 10 counties, which may mean that testimony and submissions may not be part of the official record. And there won't be prospective maps at these meetings, which may start as early as mid September. But there is no schedule, and the facilities have not been retained.  When asked by a legislator member of the committee whether the public would be able to participate via Zoom, the answer was that it “was hard” and it wasn't clear whether internet was available at the locations, so “no.”  So much for transparency. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Last Friday, the NH Special Committee on Redistricting announced its third meeting, this Wednesday, Aug. 25th at 10 am, and indicated that's its agenda is a discussion of the homegrown 2011 software selected by the committee to draw new voting district maps for the state. The public can attend but will not be able to speak. The Special Committee has had only one public hearing, its first meeting, and only Open Democracy and the League of Women Voters got a word in. But to date, the committee has neither set a schedule of meetings, nor said when and where the county hearings will be held in October. Nor has the committee said what criteria will be used for mapping. One thing HAS been made clear: The public will not be able to participate remotely, as Speaker Packard has forbade public or legislator participation via Zoom. The lack of transparency has made democracy advocates suspicious, given the gerrymandering of New Hampshire's voting districts in 2001 & 2011. As a result, activists will be turning out in numbers for this Wednesday to demand a transparent process. In the meantime, a coalition of groups has launched the Map-a-Thon, a citizen-drawn mapping project, which is using a fair, nonpartisan and transparent process to draw maps. More on the Map-a-Thon and its work next week. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. After bruising negotiations to pass the infrastructure, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer put off last week's expected vote on the for the People Act until the week of September 13, and recessed for the remainder of August.  Before that decision, Schumer had put forth two smaller bills for unanimous consent to bring them up for debate, one on disclosure of Dark Money donors, and one a requirement that Congressional districts be drawn without gerrymandering. Both are also components of the For the People Act and both unanimous consent requests received objections from Texas Senator Ted Cruz. What this confirmed, for the benefit of Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema is there is no Republican support for these fundamental democracy reforms, putting pressure on centrist democrats modify the filibuster rules . This might include a “carve out” for legislation of this type, or return to the “standing filibuster. NH Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen have expressed openness to changes, but are reluctant to do away the filibuster entirely. The current filibuster rule, when invoked, requires 60 Senate votes to pass ANY legislation – which is WHY the Senate gets little accomplished. The Senate switchboard is 888-453-3211. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. As of last Friday, Aug. 6, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has delayed the U.S. Senate's August recess to force action on the infrastructure bill. Next on the agenda before the break may be a vote on one version of the For the People Act amended by Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin has indicated he may have bipartisan support for the bill, but many democracy advocates are skeptical that he has enough votes to pass the bill. Manchin's amendment slims down the bill, but does retain some of the voting rights components like automatic voter registration, ethics reform for the executive branch and keeping lobbyists from working for foreign countries, and keeps campaign finance reform features like disclosure of dark money and political advertising donors.  If the Manchin amendment doesn't pass, it does NOT mean the end of the For the People Act. But it does raise the urgency of filibuster reform. Reports are circulating that a failure of the Manchin Amendment will put added pressure on Manchin, Arizona, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and New Hampshire's own Senators, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen to to change the filibuster to allow a simple majority for Constitutional-related bills, or to restore the talking filibuster.  The Senate switchboard is 888-453-3211. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Last week, we told you that NH Governor Chris Sununu had a choice to make on SB 89, a bill which had been amended to disallow any provisions of the federal For the People Act in state elections. Governor Sununu chose Friday to SIGN SB 89, saying that he “”praying” the S.1 For the People Act did not pass in the U.S. Senate. But Democracy advocates say that if the For the People Act passes, SB 89 would cause local NH election officials to have to run TWO elections: One state and one federal, with different ballots, voter registration systems and rules. Also signed by the Governor was HB 263, which doubles the per individual campaign funding limits, and increases the level at which candidates have to tell the public where the money came from.  One bill which was vetoed by the Governor was HB 98, which would have changed the date of the NH State Primary from September to August. The Governor cited a time-tested date, and that a mid-summer date would both depress turnout and make it more challenging to recruit poll workers.  As the Governor moves past the democracy-related bills this past term, all eyes are focused on the federal For the People Act, and the state anti-voter bills pending in the NH House.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Earlier this spring, SB 89 was heard in the NH Senate and House Election law committees. We described in May how SB 89 had been a bill with some sensible election improvements.  But when it arrived in House Election law, the anti-voter faction of the committee passed an amendment block the federal, not-even-approved-yet S.1 For the People Act, from being used for state elections. Surprisingly, the Senate “concurred” with the amendment, and is sending the bill to Governor Sununu, who has not yet signed the bill.  Grandstanding to support the Big Lie, to be sure, since the For the People Act still has hurdles in the U.S. Senate. Should he sign the bill, Governor Sununu would be responsible for additional cost and chaos in our electoral system. SB 89 would result in separate federal and state ballots, separate absentee ballots, and separate voter registration systems. There would be early voting for federal elections, but not for state. And there will be expense to the state and towns. The For the People Act, would have covered some of the expense both – if the state's election wasn't separate. Governor Sununu has a choice to make on whether to choose fiscal responsibility over unfunded mandates. Sensible reforms over chaos. And the Freedom to Vote over suppression.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  Governor Sununu's phone number is 603-271-2121. For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. Democracy advocates are predicting that votes on changing the filibuster rules and a subsequent vote to pass the S.1 For the People Act are expected in the United States Senate by the end of July. With President Biden's speech last week calling for passage of the landmark voting rights, money-in-politics, ethics reform & enforcement and election modernization bill, negotiations behind the scenes have ramped up to change the filibuster rules. “Carve-outs” have made changes to the filibuster in the past, allowing simple majority votes when approving federal judges or budgets, for instance. Sen. Joe Manchin expressed openness to a 55-vote majority to end the filibuster, but that still would not be enough given a red wall of Republican opposition to the For the People Act, the provisions of which would derail state legislature efforts to tighten voting around the U.S.  VP Harris is reportedly making the rounds among her former Senate colleagues, trying to determine what changes Senators would make. NH Senator Jeanne Shaheen has called for the elimination of the filibuster in past years, and Senator Maggie Hassan recently expressed a willingness to consider a “standing” filibuster,” but is unwilling to do away with the filibuster entirely, citing its role in forcing bipartisanship.  It is still unclear as the extend to which our U.S. Senators are willing to fight for the protection of voters and the electoral system.  As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl. 

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. This past Saturday in Portsmouth, NH, Open Democracy hosted its annual Seacoast Walk & Rally, this year devoted to the 50th anniversary of the 26th amendment, giving 18-year-olds the franchise to vote and run for office. A momentus event to celebrate, for sure. But lurking in the shadows are a number of bills in the NH legislature, aimed at chipping away at this freedom to vote, particularly aimed at students. Ferocious testimony against those bills in March resulted in them being retained, but we are expecting them to resurface in August or September.  They include bills changing the definition of “NH domicile,” disallowing college students who spend most of their time in NH, from voting. Another bill ends same-day registration, targeted toward students and lower-income voters. One bill even tries to have absentee ballot voters have their application notarized at their expense, if the ballot will be sent to an address other than the voter registration address of record. That makes it more difficult for students, the elderly and the disabled if they are away from home or at a care facility.  All of these bills masquerade as so-called “election integrity” bills, but their true intent is to make it more difficult for certain voters to cast their ballots. The prospect that these discriminatory bills could pass in NH adds urgency to the passing of the S.1 For the People Act in the U.S. Senate, which NH Senators support, but so far have not signaled they are willing to stick their necks out for. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

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

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. If you listened to the press last week, you may have heard that the sweeping democracy-saving voting rights & anti-corruption bill, the S.1 For the People Act is dead. As Mark Twain said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Last week's vote made clear that the For the People Act has no Republican support, and Democratic Senator Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia has said he won't support the bill as is. But he HAS offered amendments, and negotiations have ramped up on a modified bill, including making changes to require voter ID provisions but also allow voters to use water & property tax bills and other ways to identify voters. The big blocking point is not Sen. Manchin or even Republicans at this point. It's the fililbuster, which requires 60 votes to stop, and last week's vote ended in a 50-50 tie. Manchin said that he's open to dropping the 60 votes needed to end the filibuster down to 55, and making the filibuster an old school “standing” filibuster. While most democracy advocates favor doing away the the filibuster altogether, NH Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen have not made it clear how far they will go to change the filibuster and get the for the people act passed. The Senate switchboard is 888-453-3211. Negotiations on S. 1 and the filibuster are expected to continue until August. 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

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. This Wednesday or Thursday, the U.S. Senate takes its first vote on the H.R. 1 / S.1 for the People Act, the largest democracy-saving bill in 50 years, and possibly in American history.. With the over new 400 state laws now proposed to maliciously tighten voting access, the For the People Act sets minimum voting standards for elections to override these laws. S. 1 also adds ethic rules and enforcement, makes Dark Money groups disclose who's funding them, protects mail voting, requires early voting, makes online voter registration available nationwide, adds an independent redistricting commission and a whole lot more. Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia has said he won't support the bill as is, and has offered alternatives, including making changes to S.1's voter ID provisions, but also allows voters to use water & property tax bills and other ways to identify voters. He's also suggested that he's open to dropping the 60 votes needed to end the filibuster down to 55, which still may be too high given Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's proclamation that no Republicans will vote for the bill. NH Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen support S.1, but have not made it clear whether they support repealing the filibuster, or modifying it. The Senate switchboard is 888-453-3211. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.” For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. A follow up from last week on some of the bills which passed in the NH House & Senate. We were awaiting the “concur” votes on bills which passed with amendments, forcing them to return to the originating body to “concur” with the changes made. Some of them, like the anti-For the People Act amendment on SB 89, were substantial changes of questionable intent. But the Senate concurred with the changes made in the House, despite the lack of a fiscal note on SB 89 and the additional expenses to cities and towns. HB 523, which requires anyone registering to vote and who doesn't have an ID to have their picture taken, also received a concur vote. However, SB 31, a bill which changed some of the language on the absentee ballot application and was amended in the House, was met with a “non-concur” vote, and will go to a committee of conference to sort out the differences between the House & Senate versions. Senate bill 83, which had two of its sections stripped out by the House receive a non-concur vote by the Senate, but will not go to a committee of conference and is dead. House bill 391, which originally increased campaign donation limits, had it's language added to another bill. That bill; too, died when the House refused to concur or join a committee of conference. Another session to consider the committee of conference results will be June 24, and the remaining bills will go to Governor Sununu. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.” For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people. We told you last week about the remaining Democracy bills before the full NH House last Thursday. There's some good news and some bad news. We're glad that SB 46 passed, a bill which allows towns to use electronic check in when you vote, after years of opposition from the technology-averse NH Secretary of State's office. This will reduce wait times and save election officials a lot labor. SB 31 passed, but not with the originally proposal of “medical conditions” as an excuse for requesting an absentee ballot. Because, evidently, no one ever gets sick in NH. SB 83 also passed, but not with the advance of a secure electronic portal to submit documents to register to vote. Because the citizens of NH can't be trusted to submit documents or make address changes using their computers, like say, mortgages, or the U.S. Postal Service And SB 89 passed, despite the last-minute amendment which keeps NH from following federal election protection rules being proposed by the H.R. 1 / S. 1 For the People Act. Perhaps because the NH legislature has 15 anti-voter bills held back in committee, waiting for a moment when you're not looking to pass them. As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.” For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.