New Hampshire's political boundaries get drawn every ten years, after new Census data comes out.
The idea of the bill taken up by the N.H. Senate today was to take the pen out of the hands of lawmakers and let an independent commission to draft the map of state house legislative districts—one that reflects voters’ wishes and “eliminates partisan distortions.”
But the Senate effectively killed that proposal Thursday—moving it to interim study as legislators are gearing up for election season.
A new round of redistricting won’t take place for another five years, and supporters of the bill had hoped to appeal to both parties’ better judgment: last time lawmakers re-drew the map, things got so heated the fight reached the Supreme Court.
Across the country states are reconsidering who should draw the political map—around 200 bills relate to redistricting this year. Other states, including California, Arizona, and Missouri, already have some form of an independent redistricting commission.
