The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 9, 2025
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
Legislation unveiled Monday by the New Hampshire Senate would change the state’s four Presidential electoral votes from “winner take all” to “proportional,” based on which party wins its two Congressional districts. Gerrymander the districts, and you guarantee more votes for your Presidential candidate.
Senate Bill 11 would have New Hampshire join Maine and Nebraska as the only states which have proportional electoral votes, and would apportion them based on which party wins Congressional district 1 or 2.
In November, the state’s Congressional seats went to Democrats reps Chris Pappas, and newcomer Maggie Goodlander, yet the state house, senate, governorship, and governor’s executive council all went red, in large part to gerrymandered voting districts. Gerrymandered, except the districts for Congress.
A 2022 proposal by the NH House Election Law Committee radically gerrymandered the districts, guaranteeing the District 1 congressional seat for Republicans. So radical, in fact, that Republican Governor and possible Presidential candidate Chris Sununu surprised his own party by vetoing the map, and proposing his own competitive map similar to that of previous decades.
New Hampshire’s incoming governor, former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, may not have such competitive compulsions. With a Republican House & Senate behind her, a gerrymandered Congressional district could be a two-fer for Republicans, both in New Hampshire and in the Presidential race.
We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
To view the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
National Archives – Distribution of Electoral Votes
New Hampshire Legislature – Senate Bill 11
WMUR – Senate Republicans propose bill to reallocate New Hampshire’s electoral votes
New Hampshire Bulletin – 2022 House Republicans stand by proposed overhaul of state’s congressional districts
New Hampshire Bulletin – (2022) Sununu says he will veto congressional district maps
Groups Taking Action:
Open Democracy Map-a-Thon Project, League of Women Voters NH, NH Campaign for Voting Rights, ACLU NH
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
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