"The Home for Little Wanderers," a nonprofit organization established more than 200 years ago, is the oldest child welfare organization in the country. With more than 1000 clinicians, psychiatrists, social workers and teachers, they are instrumental in ensuring care and support throughout communities. They offer adoption and foster care, behavioral and clinical care, family support, independent living and residential support along with special education through, roughly, three dozen programs. This organization is based out of Boston. 

Recently, a new group home has opened up in Keene, and will be able to host up to eight LGBTQ young people between the ages of 12 and 19. This facility is also the first of its kind in New Hampshire. Sadly, NH has been experiencing a rise in discrimination and violence towards LGBTQ young people. Even our state legislature continues to regularly propose bills aiming to restrict or ban certain types of gender-affirming care for minors.

The recently established group home is 6,700 square feet with four bedrooms able to sleep two residents each. Eighteen staff members will be there around the clock, assisting residents to either prepare for living independently, moving in to foster care or reuniting with their families. 

Staff members consist of licensed clinicians providing mental health services specific to LGBTQ, planning and therapy for any future treatments and some vocational training. However, a minor would need permission from their parent or legal guardian in order to undergo any medical treatment. Staff members will also be able to assist residents who struggle with abuse and neglect issues. The expected stay for some teens could be two to three years, with some staying for only a few months. The residents will have regular chores for which an allowance is earned and learn to cook meals while living in a safe and stable home. All this is to successfully assist the resident for the day they are able to be out on their own or reunite with their family.

In 2021,The Home for Little Wanderers signed a contract with the NH Dept. of Health & Human Services. That contract covered $387,000 in initial costs for the project, the majority of it went for personnel and equipment. The contract also specifies the organization receives a daily rate of $585 for every Medicaid-enrolled resident at the facility. Unity House will also receive funding from Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) of around $480 a day for each resident staying there. 

Residents will have the opportunity to attend local schools, enabling them to take part in sports and social groups. If you would like to take an active part in making this endeavor a success contact the staff at Unity House unityhousegetinvolved@thehome.org. 

We’ll finish off Women’s History Month with these two novelists.

Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter was born on Dec. 19, 1868, in Littleton, New Hampshire. She attended the New England Conservatory for several years, training as a singer. In 1892 she married businessman John Lyman Porter and they relocated to Massachusetts. It was there Eleanor began writing and publishing her short stories and novels. By 1901, she had turned entirely from music to writing. 

Her stories were mainly adventure, literature for children and romance fiction. She is most famous for her 1913 novel Pollyanna and the 1915 sequel Pollyanna Grows Up. 

In 1916, Pollyanna was made into a Broadway play, which starred Helen Hayes. Four years later, it became a movie (or as they were called in 1920, “motion picture”) which starred Mary Pickford and then Haley Mills in the 1960 remake. 

Porter went on to write several more novels and short stories before her death on May 21, 1920, in Cambridge, Mass.

Jodi Lynn Picoult was born on Long Island in 1966. She was five years old when she wrote her first story "The Lobster Which Misunderstood". In 1983 she graduated from Smithtown High School East. At Princeton University, Picoult studied creative writing, graduating in 1987. She married Timothy van Leer in 1989; currently residing in Hanover, NH with their three children. 

Picoult’s accomplishments include two short stories in the magazine Seventeen; she has edited textbooks and taught eighth-grade English. She has a master’s degree from Harvard University, received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Dartmouth College in 2010 and another one from University of New Haven in 2012. In 2013, Picoult was a member of the inaugural Writers Council of the National Writing Project. This organization recognizes the "universality of writing as a communicative tool and helps teachers enhance student writing." 

As an activist, in 2010, she led the 5th Annual Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hero Half Marathon & Relay 5K Walk around Occom Pond and through the town of Hanover. She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the NH Coalition Against the Death Penalty. (As an aside, the death penalty in NH came to an end on May 30, 2019. Before that, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed the bill, but legislators had enough votes to override the veto.) With the famous Women's March on Washington taking place not only in Washington DC, on Jan. 21, 2017, but similar marches in cities nationwide, Picoult was a keynote speaker at the New Hampshire Women's Day of Action and Unity in Concord. 

You know you’ve made it as an author when your books are targeted for banning! In March 2023, twenty of Picoult's books were taken out of the Martin County School District in Florida. They were to be reviewed for “potentially inappropriate content.” According to Picoult, the complaint came from one parent who depicted her books as "adult romance.” Picoult refuted the complaint, stating: "What [the books] do have, however, are issues like racism, abortion rights, gun control, gay rights, and other topics that encourage kids to think for themselves." Picoult has criticized Moms for Liberty who have called for the removal of her books. Her 2007 book, Nineteen Minutes, was one of 374 books being targeted for banning from school libraries in Iowa’s Urbandale Community School District during the summer of 2023. 

Yup! It’s those school vouchers again. Commissioner Edleblut’s gift that keeps on giving . . .

Currently, the Senate Finance Committee is looking at two bills which would expand the school voucher program. SB 442 expands the voucher program for anyone who has been denied a manifest hardship and SB 522 creates a whole new voucher program for pre-k in New Hampshire even though we do not have a public pre-k program in this state yet.

These new programs would be a huge expansion of a currently overbudgeted and unaudited voucher program. Please tell the Senate Finance Committee we cannot afford voucher expansion and to vote no on SB 442 and SB 522. All this takes is a simple on line signature.

On Tues., March 26, the House Education Committee will be hearing SB 374. This bill is meant to decrease the standards for becoming a teacher by permitting someone who does not have a teaching credential to work up to 30 hours a week. All students deserve teachers who understand how to best educate them, setting them up for future success in their lives. Decreasing standards does not do that, instead it could lower the educational experience for students. Please contact the House Education Committee urging them to Reject SB 374 and Respect Professional Standards for Educators.

A bit of good news, HB 1353 was recently tabled by the House. This bill would have given Edleblut subpoena power over educators. The bill did not have enough votes to pass this past week but could be taken off the table by a simple majority vote next week. Once next week is over, the bill would then require a two-thirds vote to remove from the table, effectively killing the bill. Something else to keep an eye on even while we await an audit of the school voucher program which is required by state law that the Dept. of Education is slow walking.

Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) came into existence in 2008, after the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Ron Paul. They set up nationwide chapters in high schools and college campuses, for the purpose of "advancing liberty on campus and in American electoral politics." They are active on almost 400 college and university campuses, represent thousands of students, and is the publisher of “The American Revolution” a quarterly magazine. 

YAL opposes gun legislation, such as “red flag laws” and “critical race theory” at public schools. They often attack Democratic officials on social media. 

Through YAL, the Hazlitt Coalition is an active network of nationwide state legislators with more than 300 members as of Nov. 2022. They believe in gun rights and vaccine choice, among other issues. For example, the coalition had filed about 25 bills in defense of people’s rights against COVID-19 protocols. 

Here in New Hampshire we have nearly 100 YAL members in our legislature:

State Senate – Kevin Avard, Keith Murphy

State House - Kimberly Abare, Keith Ammon, Aidan Ankarberg, Judy Aron, Cyril Aures, Glenn Bailey, Harry Bean, Michael Belcher, Lex Berezhny, Ross Berry, Steven Bogert, Richard Brown, 
Jose Cambrils, Barbara Comtois, James Connor, Travis Corcoran, Glenn Cordelli, Matthew Coulon, Leah Cushman, Ron Dunn, Jess Edwards, Keith Erf, Oliver Ford, Jason Gerhard,  Michael Granger, Jeffrey Greeson, Gerry Griffin, Tina Harley, Mike Harrington, Juliet Harvey-Bolia, JR Hoell, Dan Hynes, Thomas Kaczynski, Diane Kelley, Stephen Kennedy, James Kofalt, Catherine Kenny, Erica Layon, Alicia & Tony Lekas, John Lewicke, David Love, Tom Mannion, Nikki McCarter, Carol & Dan McGuire, Mark McLean, Kristin Noble, Jeanine Notter, Jason Osborne, Sandra Panek, Diane Pauer, Kristine Perez, Katy Peternel, Emily Phillips, Brandon Phinney, Tony Piemonte, Tom Ploszaj, Yury Polozov, Daniel Popovici-Muller, Susan Porcelli,  Lisa Post, Kelley Potenza, John Potucek, Andrew Prout, Jim Qualey,
Arlene Quaratiello, Andrew Renzullo, Laurie Sanborn, Alvin See, Matthew Santonastaso, Brian Seaworth, John Sellers, Shane Sirois, Lisa Smart, Julius Soti, James Spillane, James Summers, Jeffrey Tenczar, Paul Terry, David Testerman, Dick Thackston, Chris True, Paul Tudor, Len Turcotte, Jordan Ulery, Michael Vose, Kevin Verville, Scott Wallace, Robert Wherry, Clayton Wood and Josh Yokela 

Please note, a lot of these names also appear on the Free State Project list and the list of Liberty Alliance members. Know who you are voting for, what their beliefs are and whether those beliefs align with yours.

Last year, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit objecting to the use of New Hampshire’s Education Trust Fund money being used to fund Education Freedom Accounts (EFA). These accounts are a large part of Education Commissioner Frank Edleblut’s long term goal of undermining public education by taking our taxpayer dollars and making them available for parents who want to send their children to private, religious or home school. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers by its president, Deb Howes. The lawsuit claimed that this money, being used for non public school education, was not only unconstitutional but illegal. 

In Nov., Edleblut and his like-minded cronies had reason to celebrate as the Merrimack County Superior Court dismissed the lawsuit. Howes gave the following statement, “The court actually said the quiet part out loud, stating that the state does not have an obligation to provide a constitutionally adequate education to children whose parents opt to provide them a private education. That stunning admission should shock the public to its core and give everyone pause about the accountability and quality of voucher schools.” 

On Monday, Mar. 18th, Edleblut made noises about state auditors, specifically NH’s Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA), who were trying to review the Education Freedom Account school choice program. The LBA is looking to audit the school voucher program that spent $24 million of our taxpayer dollars last year! The “Children's Scholarship Fund of New Hampshire” is the administer of the voucher program, and Edleblut felt the LBA should not have requested financial data that is not owned by the state. He called it a “fishing expedition.” I call it the state auditors wanting to clarify on what and where $24 million of our taxpayer dollars are going!

The LBA, which is nonpartisan, has been in existence since 1953 and carries out investigations, analyses, or research into the financial activities of New Hampshire State government entities. Whether Edleblut likes it or not, some of the state’s private and/or religious schools are benefitting from the use of our taxpayer dollars and should be held to state scrutiny.

We’ll have to watch how this little tug-of-war turns out between state transparency with (can’t be said enough) our taxpayer dollars and the ones who want to destroy public education. 

(Sharon) Christa (Corrigan) McAuliffe was born in Boston on Sept. 2, 1948, growing up in Framingham, Massachusetts. In 1966 she graduated from Marian High School then went on to Framingham State College where she studied education and American history. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1970, she married her high school sweetheart, Steven McAuliffe that same year.

She began her teaching career in Maryland, teaching junior high students English and American history. In 1978, McAuliffe received her master’s degree from Bowie State College in Maryland and in 1983 the family moved to New Hampshire where she was hired to teach social studies at Concord High School.

In 1984, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a new program aptly named the “Teacher in Space Project.” McAuliffe applied (along with more than 11,000 other people!) and eventually was named the winner of the contest. Her dream of helping students to understand space and how NASA works was closer to coming true. Now it was off to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for extensive training in Sept. 1985.

The Challenger was initially scheduled for lift-off on Jan. 22, 1986 but was put off due to a scheduling delay. A second delay occurred due to a dust storm at an emergency landing site. Another delay was caused by inclement weather at the launch site. The final delay was because of a technical problem with a door latch mechanism.

Finally, on Jan. 28,1986, with friends and family, including her two children in attendance, her students in Concord along with the rest of the nation anxiously watching on television, the history-making space expedition lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. In less than two minutes after lift-off, the unthinkable happened. The shuttle exploded, and all seven crew members aboard died.

"The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'" 
- Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986

Christa McAuliffe brought such enthusiasm and a love of learning to her many students. To honor her memory there are now roughly forty schools worldwide named after her including the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence at Framingham State University, the S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Lowell, Mass., and others in New York, Utah and Louisiana.

There is the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH; Christa McAuliffe Park in Green Bay, WI; McAuliffe Branch Library in Framingham, Mass. In Nashua, the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference (committed to using technology in all forms of education) has been held every year since 1986. In Nebraska, the McAuliffe Prize annually honors a teacher from Nebraska for courage and excellence in education. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Council for the Social Studies award grants in McAuliffe’s name to trailblazing, forward thinking teachers.

Even in space McAuliffe is remembered. An asteroid is named the “3352 McAuliffe,” a crater on the moon and the planet Venus is named “McAuliffe.”

During Women’s History Month, we honor and acknowledge the shining star known as Christa McAuliffe.

Founded by the Free State Project in 2003, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) refers to itself as a non-partisan alliance who supports libertarian candidates running for local and state office. Additionally, they support a civil society, other libertarian organizations and causes along with working towards increasing individual freedoms in NH. 

To achieve that last goal, they track legislative bills during regular sessions and evaluate them based on their effects on accountability, affordability, civil liberties, constitutionality, fiscal impact, personal responsibility, property rights, regulation, and taxation. Then a weekly handout called The Gold Standard is given to members of the Senate and House of Representatives before their vote. This gives them an awareness as to whether a particular bill is anti- or pro-liberty.

To better understand what the “Gold Standard” is, this link shows which bills came before the Senate on March 7th. For example: “SB316 - establishing a penalty for a person who transports fentanyl class drugs into NH with the intent to distribute.” This is viewed as an anti-liberty piece of legislation because “This bill adds a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for individuals transporting fentanyl into NH with an intent to distribute and adds a new clause allowing for asset forfeiture of vehicles that were involved.” 

Another example is “SB525 - relative to administration of the education freedom accounts program.” Also viewed as anti-liberty because “This bill would create perverse incentives for families to limit their income to prevent their child from being forced back into a specific government school after having acclimated to a learning environment that better suits their needs.” 

An annual "Liberty Rating" is published with individual grades for each representative and senator based on pro- or anti-liberty roll call votes. The NHLA designates an impact score of each bill (or vote) by considering the degree to which the bill (or vote) will impact liberty (positively or negatively). According to the above 2023 rating publication a majority of Democrats scored a “CT,” known as “Constitutional Threat.” They are considered unfaithful to their oath of upholding the NH Constitution and principles of liberty. 
Whoops . . .

The following are members of the NH Liberty Alliance:

Allenstown – Matthew Pitaro
Alstead – Rich Nalevanko
Alton – Paul Terry (Co-founder & director of Camp Constitution, far-right Christian camp.)
Antrim – Jim Creighton
Atkinson – Arlene Quaratiello, Peter Torosia
Auburn – Jess Edwards (FSP, also), Jason Osborne (House Majority leader 
Barrington – Len Turcotte
Bath – David Binford
Bedford – Russan Chester (and Constitution Party of NH), Linda Gould, John Graham, Dan Hynes, Niki Kelsey, Kristin Noble (and Moms for Liberty) 
Belmont - Jason Gerhard (last Sept. proposed a bill to “sunset all NH laws”, feels people can sell their own organs, see link)  Nikki McCarter, Travis O’Hara, Michael Sylvia, Douglas Trottier
Bow – John Martin
Brentwood – Melissa Litchfield
Brookfield – Bill Nelson
Brookline – Diane Pauer (and Americans for Prosperity, AFP)
Campton – Mark Alliegro
Center Barnstead – Barbara Comtois
Center Harbor – Tom Ploszaj
Charlestown – Steve Smith, Walter Spilsbury
Chester – Oliver Ford
Chichester – Cyril Aures
Claremont – Jonathan Stone
Concord – Kristin Jackson, Scott Smith
Danvill – Scott Wallace
Deerfield – Terry Roy, James Spillane, Kevin Verville
Derry – Laura El-Azam, Phyllis Katsakiores, Erica Layon, David Love, Lorraine Lindenberg
Dunbarton – J.R. Hoell
Durham – Jennifer Olszewski, Mark Racic
Epping – Cody Belanger, Michael Vose, John Klose
Epsom – Carol & Dan McGuire
Farmington – James Horgan, Joseph Pitre
Franklin – Dave Testerman
Freedom – Michael Costable, Mark McConkey
Fremont – Dennis Acton, Emily Phillips, Josh Yokela
Gilford – Glenn Aldrich, Harry Bean, Richard Beaudoin, Norman Silber
Goffstown – Joe Alexander, John Burt, Barbara Griffin, Michael Gunski, Lisa Mazur, Fred Plett, Claire Rouillard
Grafton – Lex Berezhny, Tim Condon
Hampstead – Dennis Green, Tracy Emerick
Hampton Falls – Forrest Osterman, Susan Porcelli
Haverhill – Rick Ladd
Henniker – Jay Noone
Hollis – Susan Homola
Hooksett – Ernie Bencivenga, Stephen Boyd, Yuri Polozov, Michael Yakubovich
Hopkinton - Darlene Gildersleeve, Jed Tocci
Hudson – Bob Greene, Stephen Kennedy, Alicia & Tony LekasLynne Ober, Andrew Prout, Andrew Renzullo, Kimberly Rice, Eric Schleien, Jordan Ulery, Robert Wherry
Jaffrey – Matthew Santonastaso
Kearsarge – Karen Umberger
Keene – Aria DiMezzo, John Schmitt
Kensington – John Valvanis
Kingston – David Welch, Kenneth Weyler
Laconia – Erica Golter, Gregg Hough, Dawn Johnson, Richard Littlefield
Lancaster – Kevin Craig, Troy Merner (busted for not living in Lancaster)
Litchfield – Ralph Boehm, Richard Lascelles
Littleton – Calvin Beaulier, David Rochefort, Matthew Simon
Londonderry – Al Baldasaro, Tom Dolan, Ron Dunn, Wayne MacDonald, Kristine Perez, Douglas Thomas
Loudon – Jose Cambrils, Michael Moffett, Howard Pearl, Alvin See
Lyndeborough – Lisa Post
Manchester – Ross Berry, Tyler Chase, Larry Gagne, Dan & Tammy Garthwaite, Carla Gericke, Gerald Griffin, Richard Hagala, Joseph LaChance, Dick Marston, Stephen Mathieu, Mark McLean, Brittany LeClear-Ping, Mark Warden, Matthew Whitlock, Rachel Goldsmith (and Moms for Liberty, Hillsborough County)
Mason – John Lewicke
Meredith- Jonathan Mackie, Lisa Smart, Jeanne Tofts
Merrimack - Melissa Blasek, Melissa Creem (NHLA chairperson), Mary Mayville, Tim McGough, Jeanine Notter
Milford – Bill King, Vanessa Sheehan, Colton, Skorupan 
Milton - Glenn Bailey, Peter Hayward, Michael Granger, Claudine Burnham
Nashua – Elizabeth Ferreira, Doris Hohensee, Corey MacLean, Dan Moriarty, Brett Powell, Kevin Scully
New Boston – Keith Ammon, William Foster
New Ipswich – Shane Sirois, Paul Somero
Newmarket – Jeanne Cooper
Newton – Charles Melvin, James Summers
North Hampton – Kirsten Larson-Schultz
Northfield – Gregory Hill
Northwood – Paul Tudor
Nottingham – Alan Bershtein, Jacob Brouillard
Orange – Donald McFarlane
Ossipee – Jonathan Smith
Pelham – Tom Mannion, Hershel Nunez, Denise Smith, Jeffrey Tenczar
Pembroke – Brian Seaworth, Nick White
Peterborough – Rachel Maidment
Pike – Matthew Coulon
Pittsfield – Clayton Wood
Raymond – Dustin Dodge, Mike Drago, Kevin Pratt
Rindge – John Hunt, James Qualey
Rochester – Susan DeLemus, Fenton Groen, Thomas Kazynski, Mac Kittredge, Clifford Newton, Brandon Phinney, Kelley Potenza, David Walker
Rumney – Gail Sanborn
Salem – Daryl Abbas, Fred Doucette, Betty Gay, John Janigian, Joe Sweeney, John Sytek
Salisbury – Louise Andrus
Sanbornton – Timothy Lang
Sanbornville -  Lino Avellani
Sandown - Tony Piemonte, Chris True
Seabrook – Tim Baxter, Tina Harley, Aboul Kahn
Somersworth – Nick Strafford (and FSP)
South Acworth – Judy Aron
South Hampton – JD Bernardy
Strafford – Michael Harrington, Kurt Wuelper
Stratham – Patrick Abrami
Sunapee – Don Bettencourt
Temple – Diane Kelley
Tilton – Juliet Harvey-Bolia
Tuftonboro – Glenn Cordelli
Twin Mountain – John Greer
Unity – John Callum
Wakefield – John Belcher
Warner – Margaret Kennedy
Weare – Travis Corcoran (and FSP), Leah Cushman, Keith Erf
Wentworth – Beth Folsom, Jeffrey Greeson
Westmoreland – Malia Boaz
Whitefield – Seth King
Wilton – Jim Kofalt
Winchester – Zachary Nutting, Jennifer Rhoades, Max Santonastaso
Windham – Katelyn Kuttab, Robert Lynn (currently looking to make voting harder in NH), Charles McMahon, Daniel Popovici-Muller, Julius Soti
Wolfboro – Katy Peternel
Wolfboro Falls – Larry Borland

While there was only one person listed as a member of the Flat Earth Society, the following is from their website: “The Flat Earth Society mans the guns against oppression of thought and the Globularist lies of a new age. Standing with reason we offer a home to those wayward thinkers that march bravely on with REASON and TRUTH in recognizing the TRUE shape of the Earth - Flat.”

Winchester – Russell Kanning, running for a seat on the school board

Hoo-boy! 

“Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely.”

So said Jack Posobiec, on Feb. 21st at the annual Republican Party’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union. This is a political conference, attracting not just conservative activists but also elected officials nationwide.

“We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this, right here. All glory is not to government. All glory to God,” continued the conservative activist non-believer of the separation of church and state to the cheers of fellow attendees.

Well, OK then. At least now we know what these haters of democracy have in mind, so we have our work cut out for us this year. And definitely for many years into the future. . .

In New Hampshire we have our own haters of democracy and one such group is called the “Free State Project” (FSP). Thousands of like minded people moved here beginning in the early 2000’s answering the clarion call to quietly infiltrate town and city governments before moving on to the state level. All in the name of dismantling democracy. I will be focusing on other similar NH groups in future articles.

Last July I wrote an article about the Free State Project, who founded it, what are their goals and how long they’ve been here in NH. Their founder, Jason Sorens, is closely affiliated with the remaining billionaire Koch brother (think “Americans for Prosperity”) of Koch Industries. 

Recently, NH was dubbed the “Freest” State by the Cato Institute, a think tank based in Washington, DC, co-founded in 1977 by Charles Koch, Ed Crane and Murray Rothbard. NH has been consistent in hanging on to this title, setting a record in 2022 for the “highest freedom score” in the 21st century. This is part of the Cato Institute’s “Freedom in the 50 States” report. In attendance and celebrating at the time was FSP founder Jason Sorens, Koch Industries vice-president William Ruger and Gov. Chris Sununu. 

Luckily, NH voters are beginning to wake up to the “snakes in the grass.” Sorens lost his bid for a seat on the planning board in Concord. 

Thanks to Granite State Matters the following is a list of known FSP members who have either run for and won or run for and lost a seat in local or state government:

Amherst – Jason Sorens
Brookfield – Edward Comeau
Center Conway – Quentin Lewis
Chichester – Darren Tapp
Claremont – Marie Lozito
Concord- Luke Diamond
               Keith Murphy
Croydon – Ian & Jody Underwood
Derry – Cheryl Rounds
Durham – Bruce Fenton
                Carolann McVeigh-Fent
Enfield – Ezra Wyrick
Erroll – James C. Bennett
Freemont – Able Freeman
Hampton – Gaston Gingues
Hollis – Andrew Moisson
Jefferson – Maura Annette Chappelle
Keene – Ian Freeman
Manchester – Alexander Avery
                       Cameran Barr
                       Holly Beaen Seal
                      Chandler Blair Gabel
                       Bill & Gail Domenico
                       Elizabeth Edwards
                       Robert Farinelli
                       Clarence Gardner
                       Coling Gibson
                       Jeffrey Kaufman  
                       Ivan Merlin
                       Anthony Pugh
                       Andre Rosa
                       Ghose Shuvom
                       Victoria Sullivan
                       Andrew Vermiglio
                       Merav Yaakov
Merrimack – Karlyn Borysenko
                     Linda Figler Lacana
Nashua – Christine Butler
                Desiree Fall
                Kevin Hayley
                Andrew J. Olding
                Stephen M J Peguero
                Kathy Peterson
                Jack Shimek
New Boston – Nathan Glen Dickey
Newmarket – Jeff Harris
                      Carla Mora
Northfield – Jesse Garland
Pelham – Constance Spencer
Plainfield – Margaret Drye
Rindge – Ricardo Dentesano
Salem – Jennifer Videtti
Somersworth – Nick Hubbard
                         Mike Skidmore
Sunapee – Reed Coverdale

Not knowing who you are voting for can sometimes have negative consequences. . .just ask the citizens of Croydon. . .

Back in November of 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. Since then, New Hampshire (and other states) have been receiving federal money to update and/or improve their roads, bridges, public transportation and building more electric vehicle charging stations to name a few issues that money has been earmarked for. 

Phase 1 of the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program will be to place charging stations along Route 16 and Interstate 93. The recipients of $2.8 million, through the state’s Dept. of Transportation (DOT), are the towns of North Woodstock, Rochester, Sanbornville and Tilton:

• North Woodstock; White Mountain Visitor Center, developed by ReVision Energy;
• Tilton; 75 Laconia Road, developed by Gridwealth EV;
• Rochester; 127 Market Place Boulevard, developed by Gridwealth EV;
• Sanbornville; Global Mobil Mart, developed by Global Montello Group.

Once approved by the governor and the Executive Council, placement of these charging stations can begin before the end of the year. 

Well, they’re at it again. By “they” I mean the New Hampshire House Republicans. By “it” I mean more attempts at voter suppression.

According to recent information from Independent Voter Project, NH has just under one million registered voters. The numbers are broken up like this: Undeclared – 399,395; Democrats – 303,060; Republicans – 298,470. 

One can see at a glance, where the minority lies. 

With a new year comes new attempts at voter suppression by the minority group who holds the majority in Concord. Rep. Robert Lynn (R-Windham) recently proposed House Bill 1569, which is meant to greatly increase voting requirements. If passed, a photo ID would be required at the polling place, no exceptions. Presently, a first time voter can affirm their identity and residence by filling out an affidavit and within a week of the election, mail the proper corresponding documents to the Secretary of State’s office. Failure to do so results in their ballot being disqualified from the final count. There is also a little matter of NH law; voting with a false address or identity can be investigated by the Atty. General’s office as voter fraud under RSA 7:6-c. 

Rep. Lynn’s proposed bill would do away with the affidavit, instead requiring first time voters to bring in a birth certificate, naturalization papers or a passport. Other documents proving citizenship would also be accepted for registering. 

What college student generally has that kind of document(s) hanging around their dorm? Maybe that’s the point, stop them from exercising their right to vote.

This bill was tabled last year in the House after it was deadlocked (along party lines) by the Election Law Committee on whether or not to recommend it. Now the bill has reared its suppressive head once again at a Feb. 20 hearing before the Election Law Committee. Those opposed basically argued “the system ain’t broke,” no fixing necessary. The affidavit system is working just fine, thank you very much!

A little brief history about an earlier attempt at voter suppression. In 2018, House Bill 1264, came before the NH Supreme Court. This particular legislation made it harder for college students by amending the definitions of the words “resident” and “residency.” The chief justice of the NH Supreme Court at the time was none other than Mr. Robert Lynn. He authored the court’s opinion and found the law to be constitutional. 

Gov. Chris Sununu, who had once promised, he "would never support anything that suppresses the student vote", then signed HB 1264 into law.

It remains to be seen if HB 1569 is unconstitutional. 

There are several organizations actively working to protect voting rights and promote fair, accessible elections. Here are a few:

1. League of Women Voters of New Hampshire (LWVNH): The LWVNH is a nonpartisan organization that focuses on educating voters, advocating for voting rights, and encouraging civic participation. They provide valuable information about elections, candidates, and voting procedures.
2. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Hampshire: The ACLU is committed to defending civil liberties, including voting rights. They engage in legal advocacy, public education, and lobbying efforts to ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot without hindrance.
3. New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights: This coalition of organizations and individuals works collaboratively to protect voting rights. They advocate for policies that expand ballot access, combat voter suppression, and promote transparency in elections.
4. Common Cause New Hampshire: Common Cause is dedicated to promoting open, honest, and accountable government. They work on issues related to campaign finance reform, redistricting, and voting rights.
5. Granite State Progress: While not exclusively focused on voting rights, they advocate for progressive policies and fair elections. They monitor legislation and engage in grassroots organizing.