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Petition to form redistricting commission will go directly to ballot under state statute; residents and representatives debate merits
Summary
A petition to create a redistricting commission will appear on Merrimack’s ballot under state statute; the town attorney said the commission would only examine maps and any recommendations would need legislative approval.
A petition to establish a town redistricting commission was described by the town attorney as being governed by state statute (the transcript cites RSA 6 62 a) and will go directly to the ballot as provided by that statute. Attorney Matthew Upton explained the article’s effect is to create a commission to examine redistricting; the commission itself would not enact redistricting. Any recommendation from a local commission would still need to proceed to the state legislature and receive approval (through a bill signed by the governor) and the Secretary of State’s office would review compliance with equal-population principles.
Several speakers took positions during public discussion. Paul Rasciopi identified himself as one of the 25 petitioners who filed the warrant-article petition and said Merrimack’s size (about 27,000–28,000 people was discussed elsewhere in the meeting) and multi-member state-representative districts mean residents could be better represented by smaller state-house districts. Current state representatives and former representatives spoke against the change. Janine Nader, a state representative who said she has served many terms, said, “I don't agree with it. We're not a city. The system we have has worked well as long as I've been here.” Bill Boyd urged voters to oppose the article, calling it “a solution in search of a problem,” and Chris Christensen (former state representative) said keeping the town as a single group of representatives provided advantages in state advocacy.
Residents asked about implementation details if the petition passed. One resident asked how commission members would be chosen; the answer provided at the session was “By the council.” The town attorney reiterated the multi-step statutory process, including commission formation, local recommendation, and subsequent legislative review and approval; he also said timelines could push mapping to 2026 or possibly 2028 depending on the commission’s work and legislative action. The petition will appear on the ballot for voter consideration under the statutory process described by the town attorney.
