Joe Biden Town Hall – Dec 8
My wife and I had a second opportunity to attend a Presidential Town Hall on Sunday Dec 8. This one was for Joe Biden, with an introduction from Annie Kuster and an endorsement from John Kerry.
This event drew much more attention than the one we’d attended prior. It was held in the NCC gym to a full house.
Annie truly provided only an introduction. John spoke off of the podium for about 30 minutes, taking no questions. Joe spoke for less time, then fielded 4-5 questions from the audience.
The theme of the town hall was the value of Joe Biden’s experience and his concerns around the state of America’s “moral compass”. Climate change was probably the single most discussed topic, though immigration, the electoral college and America’s standing in the world were also discussed at some length. A great experience! Photos below – they’re not the best as we sat behind the podium, but you’ll get a feel for the crowd just the same.
Tom Steyer Town Hall – Oct 27
I’ll start off this brief post by stating that NDCC does not endorse any particular Presidential candidate.
This town hall was held on Sunday Oct 27, so your webmaster and his wife were able to attend. One of the best things about living is NH is the incredible access that we have to the candidates.
This town hall was conducted in the atrium at NCC for about an hour. There were maybe 100 people in attendance. Many were very into two of Tom’s signature issues – climate change and impeachment.
Tom looks exactly as he does on those TV ads – down to the belt. He took a number of questions during the formal meeting and stayed well after for brief questions and photos. I was one of those who stayed, asked a question, and shook his hand. I wouldn’t say that he disclosed anything new, but having him state his positions in person has a different impact than a TV ad.
I will continue to post articles on various Town Halls as I am able to attend them.
SB3’s back for the Primary!
After roughly two years in the courts, one aspect of SB3 appears as though it will be implemented through “arbitrary enforcement” in the Presidential Primary, with Federal Judge Anderson both supporting and rejecting some of the state’s arguments. This portion of the law has to do with the state’s definition of “domicile”, making it more restrictive than previous having an impact on temporary residents such as college students.
The other aspect of SB3, requiring additional information for new voter registration, is still being challenged in the courts.
Officially, SB3 was signed into law of Sept 8, 2017 but has been in the courts since due to a lawsuit filed by the NH Democratic party, the League of Women Voters and several individual voters. The challenge is based on the belief that it will create voter suppression and general voter confusion around enforcement of the new requirements. It was not enforced for the Nov 5 municipal election.
Some highlights that led to this point are below.
After over a year, Judge Brown ruled on a preliminary injunction preventing SB3 from taking effect before the mid-term elections, confirming the plaintiff’s argument that the new law places “a burden on the right to vote and disenfranchises low-income and minority populations” and many college students. Moreover, Judge Brown wrote “voter fraud is not widespread, or even remotely commonplace” in New Hampshire and the following:
“Most importantly, the SB3 law does nothing to actually prevent voter fraud …. instead of combating fraud, the law simply imposes additional burdens on legitimate voters.
The state immediately challenged the ruling to the NH Supreme Court, which unanimously agreed with the state having made the decision that Judge Brown’s ruling will create confusion and disruption on election day.
The full case is still working its way through the courts.
A summarized history and overview of the case is below.
On June 8, 2017, the Republican-sponsored New Hampshire Senate Bill 3, which may complicate same-day voter registration for New Hampshire college students, …… passed in the state Senate 14-9. It was signed into law in July. The bill changes what domicile means in the context of voting and stipulates that proof of residence is required for same-day voters, including a written statement that verifies voters’ home addresses. It also authorizes government agents to visit a voter’s home to make sure that it is the voter’s primary residence. A domicile exception is typically extended to college students. SB3 is designed to tighten this up by requiring that college students provide letters, or other paperwork, proving their domiciliaries when they register to vote.
The NH Democratic party, the League of Women Voters and three individual voters are suing the state over this law, under a single lawsuit, which they believe will keep people who are legally entitled to vote from voting.
In September, Hillsborough County Judge Charles Temple placed a temporary restraining order on the state to keep officials from imposing any of the criminal penalties part of the law. “The average voter seeking to register for the first time very well may decide that casting a vote is not worth a possible, $5,000 fine, a year in jail, or throwing himself/herself at the mercy of the prosecutor’s discretion. To the Court, these provisions of SB3 act as a very serious detriment on the right to vote, and if there is a “compelling” need for them, the Court has yet to see it.” Temple wrote.
In spite of this lawsuit, on Jan 3, the Senate passed HB372, which further tightens eligibility requirements for voters.
The state of NH has refused to comply with a request for a voter database, which the plaintiffs believe will prove that there is no issue to address. The state claimed that the information is not relevant to the case at hand and it contains privileged information that cannot be released.
In April, Judge Temple rejected these arguments and compelled the state to hand over the electronic voter database as well as make available communications about the law as it is being legislated. In addition, a protective order must be crafted to keep sensitive information private.
Three Republican legislators involved in crafting SB3 – Kathleen Hoelzel, Barbara Griffin & Regina Birdsell – filed motions to squash subpoenas seeking information that they had proving or disproving instances of voter fraud before last year’s vote. In July, Judge Brown ruled in their favor. However, the Judge granted the prosecution to right to depose attorneys Bud Fitch and Matthew Broadhead.
The parties are having difficulty agreed upon the content of the protective order. Asst Attorney General Anne Edwards wants the court to support keeping dates of birth, dates of naturalization and places of birth out of the public record when the database is handed over to the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs filed a motion in response.
A hearing on the protective order was held on May 8. At that hearing, Judge Temple suggested that he recuse himself as the judge in this case going forward due to a close friendship with Attorney Byron Gould, who was recently hired by the state Attorney General’s office. The litigants suggested instead that Attorney Gould be barred from the case.
In June, Judge Temple did recuse himself. Judge Brown has taken over the case, which has moved to Manchester. One of his first rulings will be to consider the state’s request that he prevent three college professors from testifying on behalf of the plaintiffs. Their testimony will cover:
- The “understandability” of the law
- Its impact on lines
- Frequency of voter fraud
The state now asserts that the issue is not voter fraud, but rather the opportunity for voter fraud.
With the move to Manchester, the trial, scheduled to begin on August 20, 2018, is being rescheduled.
In the meantime, in July, the Governor signed HB1264 into law after the NH Supreme Court ruled on its constitutionality. Heretofore, out-of-state students attending institutions such as Dartmouth College or UNH must have a NH driver’s license or NH non-drivers ID to vote in NH.
In January 2019, the NH Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision and denied the plaintiffs usage of the state’s voter database to argue that the law unfairly burdens those who are more likely to support their party.
And the saga continues …..
Is voter fraud really an issue in NH? The Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program is aimed at preventing voter fraud by identifying duplicate voter registration records among those voluntarily provided by states. Though there are some concerns over security and results, 28 states participated after the 2016 general election. Out of 94, 610 voters, approximately 140 records were required further investigation – 51 of which were sent to the Attorney General’s office.
Per the NH Grassroots Newsletter of Jan 2:
“Why this matters: On November 28th, an amendment to HB 372, authored by Republican Senators Regina Birdsell and Jim Gray, passed the Senate Election Law Committee on a 3-2 party-line vote. The bill would redefine “domicile” status for voting purposes, effectively forcing registrants to declare residency upon registering to vote, chilling the right to vote for college students in New Hampshire. By forcing students to declare residency, this bill would act as a de facto poll tax, moving the goal posts on students who are legally allowed to vote in New Hampshire.”
Who do you like for 2020?
There will be 33 Democratic candidates on the NH Primary ballot! Check for local candidate visits in the calendar!
Cory Booker was the 1st candidate to announce a Nashua office! 83 W. Pearl St.
Elizabeth Warren Nashua office – 60 Main St.
Bernie Sanders Nashua office – 77 Derry Rd – Hudson
Joe Biden Nashua office – 142 N. Main St – Suite 510
Andrew Yang – 115 Main St
Pete Buttigieg – 37 Main St
The TOP 5 candidates based on a NH November poll:
1. Joe Biden (DE) – former Vice President – 20%
2. Elizabeth Warren – MA Senator – 16%
3. Pete Buttigieg – IN – Mayor of South Bend – 15%
4. Bernie Sanders -VT Senator – 14%
5. Tulsi Gabbard – HI – US Representative
And the rest ……
Cory Booker – NJ Senator
Amy Klobuchar – MN Senator
Andrew Yang – NY – Entrepreneur – Founder of Venture for America
Julian Castro – TX – Former HUD Secretary
John Delaney – MD – Former US Representative
Marianne Williamson – CA – Entrepreneur
Michael Bennet – CO Senator
Tom Steyer – CA – Entrepreneur
Deval Patrick – former MA Governor
Michael Bloomberg – former NYC Mayor and Entrepreneur
GONE
Eric Swalwell – CA – US Representative (July 2019)
John Hickenlooper – CO – former Governor (Aug 2019)
Seth Moulton – MA – US Representative (Aug 2019)
Jay Inslee – WA Governor (Aug 2019)
Kirsten Gillibrand – NY Senator (Aug 2019)
Mike Gravel – AK – former Senator (Sept 2019)
Bill De Blasio – NY – Mayor of New York City (Sept 2019)
Tim Ryan – OH – US Representative (Oct 2019)
Beto O’Rourke – TX – former US representative (Nov 2019)
Wayne Messam – FL – Mayor of Miramar (Nov 2019)
Kamala Harris – CA Senator (Dec 2019)
Joe Sestak – PA – former US Representative (Dec 2019)
Steve Bullock – MO Governor (Dec 2019)
Next Presidential Debate – December 19
Next round – Dec 19 from Los Angeles hosted by PBS
Qualified for the December debate. * = has a local campaign office.
- * Former Vice President Joe Biden
- * Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- * Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- * South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- California Enterpreneur Tom Steyer
November qualifiers:
- * Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
- Billionaire and climate advocate Tom Steyer
- Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
- * New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
Webmaster’s summary – NH Democratic Convention – SNHU Arena – Sept 7
This was the 2nd straight convention that my wife and I attended – and we’re glad we did. Both times, in my opinion, the biggest excitement was outside the SNHU Arena, though there was plenty of activity all around from 7AM well into the afternoon. If you think of the event as an elaborate Democratic pep rally, you’ll be pretty close to understanding the day.
Outside, from 7AM, there were groups of supporters for almost every candidate and cause positioned somewhere on the front lawn holding signs and chanting a slogan. It was packed and loud, but under control.
Tickets are available for sale, but if you have a connection to a candidate, they often provide tickets, as was the case with us. We were part of the Warren delegation. The event was Sold Out, though some of the higher sections of the arena had open seats.
Once inside, the aisles are surrounded by vendors selling Democratic wares (I bought a button) and booths representing local politicians, organizations and causes.
The event started at around 9:15 with Ray Buckley, NH Democratic Chairman. Each NH county (and Nashua specifically) had a delegation in the front of the arena marked by an identification sign similar to what you might envision on TV. I am not sure how much actual business is done on the convention floor – certainly none during the hours that we were there.
Each “major” presidential candidate (mostly those to be involved in the 3rd debate) had a section of supporters grouped together and got about ten minutes to speak. In between, our elected officers in Washington all had roughly equal time along with some local dignitaries. Made for a long day as it went well into the afternoon.
These are some scenes from outside the Arena before the convention officially started. Sorry if I missed your favorite candidate.
We were sitting pretty far in the back, but this what the convention floor looked like.
And the following photo was provided by the local Tulsi 2020 campaign.
November 5 election summary
16% voted during the Nov 5 municipal local elections.
- Mayor
- Jim Donchess (unopposed)
- Three Alderman-At-Large seats
- All three incumbents won
- Ben Clemons
- Michael O’Brien
- Lori Wilshire
- All three incumbents won
- Ward Alderman
- The following Aldermen were elected:
- W1 – Jan Schmidt
- W2 Rick Dowd
- W3 Patricia Klee (unopposed)
- W4 Thomas Lopez
- W5 Ernest Jette (unopposed)
- W6 Elizabeth Lu
- W7 June M. Caron
- W8 Skip Cleaver
- W9 Linda Harriott-Gathright
- The following Aldermen were elected:
- Board of Public Works
- Kevin Moriarty
- Shannon Schoneman
- Board of Education
- Jen Bishop
- Paula Johnson
- Sandra Ziehm
- Sharon Giglio
- Jessica Brown
- Fire Commissioner
- Kevin Burgess
- Donald Davidson
- Paul Garant
Ballot questions:
- NO – Offering retail sports betting (non-charitable).
- YES – Changing the city charter ending the requirement for Special Elections if an elected officer cannot complete their term until end of that term.
2019 Nashua rankings are IN – WalletHub & Money Magazine!
The accolades just keep coming!!
In August 2019, WalletHub (a personal finance web site) ranked Nashua 13th Best Run City in the nation. In 2018, WalletHub rated Nashua as the 9th best-run city in the US.
“Being repeatedly recognized by WalletHub and Money Magazine, as well as receiving a AAA bond rating from the Fitch and S&P, shows off the effectiveness and efficiency of Nashua’s city government,” Mayor Jim Donchess said.
In ranking Nashua near the top this year, WalletHub compared 150 of the country’s most populated cities in six categories: Financial stability, education, health, safety, economy and infrastructure and pollution. In making the rankings, other factors and an overall quality of services score was also given.
For quality of city services, Nashua ranks 18th. For total budget per capita, Nashua ranks 30th. Furthermore, the city ranks 51st for financial stability, 113th for education, 69th for health, first for safety, and 28th for the economy.
“The city of Nashua runs on teamwork,” Donchess said. “Dedicated, passionate, hard-working city employees come together every day to make sure Nashua is a safe, welcoming, happy place for residents and visitors.”
Silver Knights Fundraiser – 2019
About 100 local Democrats got together on July 25 to enjoy an evening with the Silver Knights. They lost (had a tough season in general) but it was a beautiful night with good company.
You’ll know most of the folks in these photos.
Brookline Democrats – NH Legislature This Week
NH Legislature This Week—May 14, 2018
Brought to you by the Brookline Democrats
Quotes of the Week
“Governor Sununu remains opposed to HB1264 and HB372 and believes that the bills should undergo a strict review by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in order to determine any potential unintended consequences.” Benjamin Vihstadt, Governor Sununu’s spokesman on the bills to discourage college students from voting by essentially creating a poll tax.
We are winding down! The House and Senate will meet on Wednesday, May 23rd to take up all remaining bills where the House and Senate have not come to an agreement. Those bills have been sent to committees of conference to work out a compromise. No further changes are allowed once the committees report out. The only voting options available are to pass or defeat.
These meetings of May 23rd (and, if necessary, May 24th) will be the last before the summer. After that, all bills will have been either defeated or sent to Governor Sununu. Several bills have already been sent to the Governor and he has yet to officially take action on the ones that we are following.
If the Governor vetoes a bill, it will go back to the legislature where a 2/3 supermajority is required in both the House and the Senate to override. There is no word yet on when such a session may be held.
We will not be publishing an issue next week. We will be back in a couple of weeks.
Senate create a mini-budget bill out of the blue
HB1817 started as a simple bill to create the position of a state demographer. However, the senate has added on several amendment to authorize spending on a wide range of areas – salary increases for state employees, red listed bridges, hospital payments, and Medicaid. It is not clear how much spending would be authorized by these changes, but it is in the tens of millions. The House has taken exception to this and asked for a conference committee to work out a compromise.
Legislature hands Governor an embarrassing defeat on the national stage
Governor Sununu has been advocating taking funds from public schools to give to private schools, religious schools and homeschooling families very publicly and nationally. He was set to make himself a national figure on this issue by inviting President Trump’s Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos to NH just as the legislature was expected to pass a bill doing just this. However, Republicans were not able to get their House members in line and the bill was defeated despite making several attempts. The House defeated SB193 on a razor thin 172-165 vote. State Democrats point out that recent special elections which have given seats to Democrats may have made the difference. Another issue is several Republican House Representatives have missed many legislative sessions – including Brookline/Mason Rep. John Carr, as has been noted here on many bills.
The Senate decided to make another attempt by tacking the language from SB193 onto an unrelated House bill – HB1636. However, the House again rejected the amendments and defeated the underlying bill 168-173. Rep. Ammon and Lewicke voted in favor of the Senate amendment. Rep. Belanger and Gargasz votedagainst the amendment. Rep. Carr had an excused absence.
Republicans keep opposition to marriage equality in their platform
For many years now, NH Republicans have included in their state platform a statement opposing marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. Now that the issue has been settled and polls show overwhelming support for equality, one would expect the GOP to remove this embarrassing position, but not so much. This weekend, the party bosses met to hammer out the next iteration of the state party platform and former Chair Jennifer Horn proposed to remove the statement in favor of a general statement in support of all families. This still generated significant opposition among Republican leaders and in the end, the anti-gay statement was kept by a technical maneuver that stripped Horn of her status as a delegate, in effect punishing her for even proposing to support civil rights.
How to contact Governor Sununu
There are many bills heading to the Governors desk that he should be encouraged to sign or veto. You can contact the Governors office through the state web site here: https://business.nh.gov/
Bills sent to Governor Sununu
HB587 would prohibit “conversion therapy” on gay minors.
HB1264 would essentially create a poll tax by requiring students registering to vote to register their cars in NH.
HB1319 would add “gender identity” to NH’s civil rights laws, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.
HB1575 would permit hunting with air rifles.
HB1586 would provide direction to judges approving marriages for under aged individuals.
HB1587 would set the minimum age for a marriage at 16 for all couples.
HB1686 would divert some education funding from public schools to private schools.
HB1816 would keep the expanded Medicaid program for another 5 years.
SB170 would allow towns to issue bonds to expand broadband infrastructure.
SB500 would allow loaded guns in stationary vehicles.
SB593 would repeal the death penalty. Senator Avard is the primary sponsor.
Bills in Conference Committees
HB1354 would make the Speaker of the House and Senate President voting members of the University System Board of Trustees.
HB1415 would provide a health benefit for teachers killed while performing their jobs.
HB1817 would provide new funding for state employee raises, red listed bridges, hospitals and Medicaid.
SB438 would create a process to allow elections to be postponed in the event of an emergency.
Where to find more information
The New Hampshire legislature web site is www.gencourt.state.nh.us. Here, you can find the full text of all bills, find the full list of sponsors of bills and see more detailed status. If you have questions about how to use the state website, we would be glad to help. Just email us at brooklinedemocrats@gmail.com.
Watch and listen to House and Senate sessions live and archived
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.
Terms and Abbreviations
ITL means “Inexpedient To Legislate”. If the full House or full Senate votes to ITL a bill, then the bill is defeated.
OTP means “Ought to Pass” meaning that a committee is recommending that a bill be passed.
Consent Calendar: If a bill receives a unanimous recommendation from a committee, the committee may place the bill on the Consent Calendar. When full House meets, the first vote taken is to approve all recommendations on all bills in the consent calendar. This allows the House to quickly dispense with non-controversial bills and move on to topics that need discussion. If any legislator requests that a bill be removed from the consent calendar, then it will be removed and it will be brought up for discussion and a vote along with the other non-consent calendar bills.
Resolutions: Sometimes the House, the Senate or both will pass resolutions. These are just public statements of opinion or interest, but they have no legal standing. It is similar to issuing a press release. HCR is a House resolution. HJR is a joint resolution (both House and Senate) that originates in the House.
LOB refers to the Legislative Office Building, which is immediately behind the statehouse. Most committee hearings are held in this building.
Reps Hall refers to Representatives Hall in the Statehouse where the House of Representatives meetings. This room is used for hearings that are expected to be very large.
“Retained” means that a Committee has voted to keep a bill until next year. Next year, any bills that have been retained must be sent to the full House/Senate for a vote. Any bill that does not get retained must be sent to the full House/Senate for vote by Crossover or the end of the session.
“Crossover” is March 31st. The House will vote on all bills introduced in the House by this date except for bills that have been retained until next year. Similarly, the Senate will vote on all bills introduced into the Senate by this date except for bills that are being retained until next year.
“Tabled”: The full House or full Senate can “table” a bill which means that the bill is kept in “limbo” without being passed or defeated. For tabled bill to be brought back up for a vote again (to pass it) requires a 2/3 majority. If the bill has not been passed when the legislature adjourns at the end of the year, it is defeated. Tabling a bill usually happens when the legislature wants to defeat a bill but doesn’t want to directly oppose it. It can also sometimes happen if there are not enough votes to pass, but leadership hopes to be able to come up with enough votes later—but this then requires a 2/3 majority.
A brief guide to how legislation becomes law
Bills introduced in the House:
- The bill is assigned to a committee and the committee holds a public hearing.
- The committee either retains the bill or votes to recommend that the bill be passed (OTP), changed (OTPA), or defeated (ITL).
- Except for retained bills, all other bills go to the full House which can pass, defeat, change a bill or send it to a second committee.
- If sent to a second committee, the committee must then retain or recommend to pass, change or defeat the bill. It then goes back to the full House for a second vote.
- If passed by the House, the bill goes to the Senate
- The bill is assigned to a Senate committee which then holds a public hearing
- The Senate committee either retains the bill or votes to recommend that the bill be passed (OTP), changed (OTPA), or defeated (ITL).
- Except for retained bills, all other bills go to the full Senate which can pass, defeat, change a bill or send it to a second committee.
- If sent to a second committee, the committee must then retain or recommend to pass, change or defeat the bill. It then goes back to the full Senate for a second vote.
- If passed by the Senate, the bill goes to the Governor who may sign the bill into law or veto it.
- If the Governor vetoes the bill, it goes back to the House
- If 2/3 of the House votes to override the veto then the bill goes back to the Senate
- If 2/3 of the Senate votes to override the veto then the bill becomes law.
For Senate bills, the process is the same except that it goes through the Senate before it goes to the House.
For Constitutional Amendments (CACRs) the process is slightly different.
CACRs introduced in the House:
- Assigned to a committee and the committee holds a public hearing.
- The committee votes to recommend that the CACR be passed, changed, killed or sent to study
- Regardless of the committee recommendation, all CACRs go to the full House which can pass, kill or change a bill or send it to study. Passing a CACR requires 60% of the House members present to vote in favor.
- If passed by the House, the bill goes to the Senate
- Assigned to a Senate committee which then holds a public hearing
- The Senate committee votes to recommend that the bill be passed, changed, killed or sent to study
- Regardless of the committee recommendation, all bills go to the full Senate which can pass, kill or change a bill or send it to study. Passing a CACR requires 60% of the Senate members present to vote in favor.
- If passed by the Senate, the CACR will put on the ballot at the next election (November 2012). If 2/3 of the voters vote in favor of it, then it becomes part of the NH Constitution.
Where to Send Letters to the Editor:
Nashua Telegraph
Hollis Brookline Journal
The Journal welcomes letters from its readers that are exclusive to this newspaper. Letters must be 400 words or fewer and are subject to editing either for content or for length. Letters must be received no later than noon on Monday. The Journal does not publish anonymous letters, those written under an assumed name or containing only the writer’s initials. Nor does it publish form letters, or those written as part of an orchestrated campaign. Letters must be in good taste and free of libel or personal attacks. Important: Letters must contain the writer’s name, home address and day/night telephone numbers and e-mail for confirmation purposes. Only the writer’s name and hometown will be published. The deadline for submitting letters is noon on Monday. The Journal is published every Friday.
The Mason Grapevine
Residents of Mason can submit letters to the Mason Grapevine at TheMasonGrapevine@yahoo.com
Hollis, Brookline, Mason Reps:
Sen. Kevin Avard (R) (603) 271-4151 Kevin.Avard@leg.state.nh.us
Nashua Wards 1, 2, 5, Hollis, Brookline, Mason, Greenville, New Ipswich, and Rindge
Rep. Jim Belanger (R) P: (603)465-2301 Jim.belanger@leg.state.nh.us
Hollis
Rep. Carolyn Gargasz (R) P: (603)465-7463 cgargasz@cs.com
Hollis
Rep. Keith Ammon (R) P: (603)296-9879 Keith.Ammon@leg.state.nh.us
Hollis, Milford, Mont Vernon, New Boston
Rep. John Carr (R) P: (603)673-3603 john.carr@leg.state.nh.us
Brookline and Mason
Rep. John Lewicke (R) P: (603) 878-2610 Lewicke@yahoo.com
Brookline and Mason