Overview: New Hampshire Advisory Commission (HB 1665)
HB 1665 would create a statutory 15-member advisory commission and establish redistricting criteria for congressional, state legislative, executive council, and county commission districts.
Key Features of HB 1665
Type of Commission
Advisory
What Maps the Commission Draws
Congressional, state legislature, executive council, and county commission
Commission Size
15 members
How Commissioners are Selected
The secretary of state creates and advertises an application process. Out of the applications received, the majority party leadership in the legislature nominates a pool of ten qualified applicants, and the minority party leadership in the legislature nominates a pool of ten qualified applicants.
15 commissioners are then selected through the following process:
- Five majority party commissioners are appointed by minority party legislative leadership.
- Five minority party commissioners are appointed by majority party legislative leadership.
- The five remaining commissioners unaffiliated with either party are selected by the ten appointed commissioners.
Who is Eligible to Be a Commissioner
Commissioners must be eligible to vote in New Hampshire and may not be current officeholders at the federal, state, executive council, or county level.
How a Map Gets Approved
A plan must receive support from at least nine out of the 15 commissioners. The plan may then be submitted to the state legislature for approval. If the legislature rejects a plan, the commission will redraw the map after reviewing the legislature’s concerns. If the legislature continues to deadlock on passage of a map, any registered voter may petition the state supreme court to appoint a special master to draw the map in question.
Rules That Must Be Followed in Drawing a Map
Unranked or ranked criteria: ranked
|
Criteria |
HB 1665 |
|---|---|
|
Protections for communities of color |
Yes |
|
Preservation of communities of interest |
Yes |
|
Ban on partisan gerrymandering |
Yes |
|
Respect political subdivisions |
Yes |
|
Compactness requirement |
Yes |
|
Contiguity requirement |
Yes |
Public Input and Transparency
The commissioner application must obtain information from applicants on whether they have been registered lobbyists or held elective office in the preceding 10 years and on which, if any, state or presidential primary elections they have voted in during the preceding six years.
The commission must hold at least one public hearing in each county before and after proposing a map.
The commission must create a website to provide notice of public hearings, a forum for public comment and map submissions, as well as proposed maps and accompanying data. All commission meetings are open to the public, and all commission communications and documents are public record. Commissioners and staff may not communicate with outside persons about the redistricting process outside of public meetings.
Along with a proposed map, the commission must release a report that measures the maps against external metrics, including the established redistricting criteria.
Timing
Selection Process Deadlines
- February 1, 2021: Application period ends
- July 1, 2021: Commission convenes
Plan Approval Deadlines
- December 20, 2021: Commission submits final maps to the legislature which will hold a vote on whether to approve them
- 45 days after adoption of a final map: Registered voters may challenge a plan under federal or state law
Prepared January 28, 2020. This overview is for informational purposes only.