https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-speaker-packard-names-15-member-nh-house-redistricting-committee/35544659
NH Primary Source: Speaker Packard names 15-member NH House Redistricting Committee
Panel will propose new NH House district boundaries for the next decade
REDISTRICTING. New Hampshire House Speaker Sherman Packard on Wednesday named 15 lawmakers to the redistricting committee, which later this year will begin to draw proposed House district boundary lines for the next 10 years.
The panel, chaired by House Election Law Chair Barbara Griffin of Goffstown, is expected to begin with some preliminary meetings, but will be unable to get down to business until the U.S. Census Bureau comes through with its findings.
And due to COVID-19, that effort has been a struggle. The bureau announced last week that it will deliver redistricting data to all states by Sept. 30 – nine months after the numbers would have been provided in a “normal” world.
In New Hampshire, efforts by Democratic lawmakers to create an independent redistricting advisory committee are running into a political brick wall. A Senate bill died last week, while a similar House bill appears headed for the same fate after the House election law panel recommended on an 11-9 party line vote Wednesday that the bill is inexpedient to legislate.
As in past efforts, the House and Senate each be responsible for drawing their own district boundaries and it’s traditionally been a courtesy that one chamber doesn’t change the lines drawn by the other.
The naming of the panel by Packard was the first step and was first reported by WMUR on Twitter.
Packard named Rep. Steve Smith, R-Charlestown as Vice Chair. In all, he named eight Republicans and seven Democrats to the panel.
The additional Republicans are Reps. Ross Berry of Manchester, (former New Hampshire Chief Justice) Bob Lynn of Windham, Wayne MacDonald of Londonderry, Carol McGuire of Epsom, Travis O’Hara of Belmont and Len Turcotte of Barrington.
The Democrats are Reps. Paul Bergeron and David Cote of Nashua, Connie Lane of Concord, Israel Piedra of Manchester, Marjorie Smith of Durham, Lucy Weber of Walpole and Matt Wilhelm of Manchester.