With path forward unclear, lawmakers resume process of redrawing N.H.’s congressional districts

Gov. Chris Sununu’s proposed map for New Hampshire’s two Congressional districts will get a public airing earlier than the Home’s Particular Redistricting Committee Friday, the primary public step in the direction of resolving an deadlock over redistricting since Sununu pledged to veto the plan backed by fellow Republicans a month in the past.

Sununu provided up his proposed map a month in the past after dismissing the plan handed by the GOP-led Home and Senate as not reflective of the state’s politics. He additionally mentioned that map would result in preordained outcomes, with a Republican all however assured to hold the First Congressional District, and a Democrat the Second District.

Sununu’s map, which hews far nearer to the state’s present districts than what lawmakers handed, generated loads of personal criticism from Republicans. However till now, the general public posture has been to disregard it.

Sununu indicated Wednesday he wasn’t planning to take part within the listening to for his personal map, however thinks a map that displays what he’s referred to as the New Hampshire’s “purple state” nature may be prepared for this fall’s election with out the intervention of the courts.

“I’ve seen a number of completely different alternatives for maps,” Sununu mentioned Wednesday. “We sort of threw a map on the market to say, ‘it may be finished.’ ”

New Hampshire’s Supreme Courtroom has, in the meantime, set a timetable for listening to a lawsuit filed by Democrats, together with former Home Speaker Terie Norelli, that alleges that holding the 2022 election utilizing the present Congressional maps would violate the structure

The courtroom this month named a particular grasp within the case and requested for briefs to be filed by Monday, and scheduled a spherical of oral arguments for Could 4.

The courtroom referred to as these “preliminary steps” that “by no means precludes the legislature from enacting a redistricting plan.”

The political dynamic round redistricting between Sununu and Republicans – and Republicans and Democrats — might make speedy settlement on any plan, not to mention Sununu’s, elusive. Including to the time crunch is the ten day submitting interval for candidates that opens June 1st.

“We’re going to have a listening to on it, take into account it, and talk about the professionals and cons and consider it in public,” Rep Ross Berry of Manchester mentioned of Sununu’s map.

Berry was a key architect of the map Sununu mentioned he’d veto. Berry mentioned there was little contact between Sununu’s workplace and State Home Republicans concerned in redistricting, and the character of any outreach has been administrative in nature.

“There’s nothing attractive about it,” Berry mentioned.

Democrats on the committee, for his or her half, say Sununu’s map could also be preferable to the one which handed the Home and Senate, however that doesn’t imply it needs to be used to set political boundaries for the subsequent decade.

‘We’ll say, ‘let’s take one other take a look at the fairest plan proposed, the Democratic one,’ ” mentioned Rep Marjorie Smith of Durham.

That plan, which the Home rejected in January, would go away present districts intact, save for shifting the largely-Republican city of Hampstead from the First District to the Second District.

Republicans have mentioned that proposal is a non-starter. Sununu, in the meantime, mentioned he simply desires lawmakers to heed what he sees is the general public’s will,

“There are most likely 100 completely different maps doable that might meet the standards that we’re all searching for,” Sununu mentioned. “They’ve obtained to get the votes, they’ve started working laborious and go one thing.”