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Government of New Hampshire | |
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Polity type | Sub-national administrative division (federated state) |
Part of | United States of America |
Constitution | Constitution of New Hampshire |
Legislative branch | |
Name | General Court |
Type | Bicameral |
Meeting place | New Hampshire State House |
Upper house | |
Name | Senate |
Presiding officer | Jeb Bradley, President |
Lower house | |
Name | House of Representatives |
Presiding officer | Sherman Packard, Speaker |
Executive branch | |
Head of State and Government | |
Title | Governor |
Currently | Chris Sununu |
Appointer | Election |
Cabinet | |
Leader | Governor |
Deputy leader | President of the Senate |
Headquarters | State House |
Judicial branch | |
Name | Judiciary of New Hampshire |
Courts | Courts of New Hampshire |
New Hampshire Supreme Court | |
Chief judge | Gordon J. MacDonald |
Seat | Concord |
The State of New Hampshire has a republican form of government modeled after the Government of the United States, with three branches: the executive, consisting of the Governor of New Hampshire and the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative, called the New Hampshire General Court, which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire and lower courts.
The New Hampshire state capital is Concord. The capital was Portsmouth during colonial times, and Exeter from 1775 to 1808. The Governor's office, some other executive offices, and both legislative chambers are in the State House. The Legislative Office Building is behind the State House in this photograph; the state Supreme Court and other agencies are in an office park on the other (east) side of the Merrimack River.
Like all states, New Hampshire has two senators in the US Senate. Based on U.S. census data, New Hampshire has two members of the House of Representatives.
The 1st congressional district consists of the Carroll and Strafford counties: Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Center Harbor, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia, Meredith and New Hampton in Belknap County; Bedford, Goffstown, Manchester and Merrimack in Hillsborough County; Hooksett in Merrimack County; and all of Rockingham County, except Atkinson, Salem and Windham.
The 2nd congressional district is the remainder of the state, lying to the west and north of the 1st district.
Chamber | District | Official | Party | First elected | Term expires | |
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U.S. Senate | At-Large | Jeanne Shaheen | Democrat | 2009 | 2027 | |
Maggie Hassan | Democrat | 2017 | 2029 | |||
U.S. House of Representatives | 1st | Chris Pappas | Democrat | 2019 | 2025 | |
2nd | Ann McLane Kuster | Democrat | 2013 | 2025 |
Based on the total number of its Congressional delegation, New Hampshire has four votes in the Electoral College. The state awards its electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis.
New Hampshire is part of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the Boston-based United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
New Hampshire is governed by its constitution of 1783. The constitution is in two parts, a Bill of Rights and a longer Form of Government. Unlike the United States Constitution, amendments to the New Hampshire Constitution are not set out afterward but edit the text. It is one of the few state constitutions that acknowledge the right of revolution.
The state constitution is one of the few that do not expressly require public schools. However, in 1993, the state Supreme Court ruled in the first Claremont suit [1] that a constitutional duty to "cherish the interest of...public schools" [2] required the state to define and fund equal public schools statewide. The legislature complied slowly; in 2008, the Court ended [3] its supervisory role because the original laws had been replaced, but it did not reverse its earlier finding.
The state constitution has many expressions concerning the character of the people and the criteria that should guide their election of officials. [2] [4] It also forbids the legislature from appropriating pensions for longer than the current year, [5] although state employees now do have conventional employment contracts and a retirement system deemed "deferred compensation."
The current codification of state law under the constitution is the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated of 1955.
New Hampshire is the only state with no law requiring wearing of seat belts nor use of motorcycle helmets. (The law now does make these demands of those under 18.) [6] A driver does not need to have vehicle insurance but must provide "proof of financial responsibility" to the state after an accident. Failure to do so can result in loss of driving privileges until the injured party is paid in full for their loss. [7] Unlike the neighboring states, New Hampshire has no "bottle bill."
New Hampshire had no law against having an open container of alcohol in a car until 1990, though it has since cracked down on alcohol in numerous ways, including a 2008 enactment that makes underage possession of alcohol include possessing it inside one's body.
New Hampshire is a constitutional carry state, allowing open and concealed carry of all guns while not requiring any permits. New Hampshire also allows the protection of oneself or property with stand your ground laws expanding the castle doctrine. [8]
Civil unions became legal in New Hampshire at the start of 2008, giving all the rights associated with marriage in the state to same-sex couples. [9] On January 1, 2010, same-sex marriage became legal in New Hampshire, overriding the civil union law.
The state had the death penalty for specific categories of homicide. [10] The last execution was conducted in 1939. In 2008, a jury voted to impose the death penalty for the first time since 1959 in the Addison case. [11] However, in 2019, the death penalty was repealed. Some advocates of repeal claimed the act would not affect the Addison case, but some opponents asserted that Addison would be spared by asserting his due process rights.
New Hampshire was the last state in the country to require public kindergarten, which was mandated in 2007.
Rules that agencies issue, as authorized by statute, are collected in the New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules.
The legislature is called the General Court. It consists of the House of Representatives (400 members) and the Senate (24 members).
The General Court is the fourth-largest legislature in the English-speaking world, behind only the British Parliament, the United States Congress, and the Parliament of Canada respectively; and the New Hampshire House of Representatives is also the fourth-largest individual chamber (exceeded in number by the United States House of Representatives, the British House of Commons and the British House of Lords). [12] The legislature at one time grew to 443 members due to population growth, but a 1942 constitutional amendment set its size at from 375 through 400 members. [13] There is one representative for about every 3,300 residents. [14] In order for the U.S. Congress to have the same representation, there would need to be approximately 99,000 representatives.
The legislature apportions legislative seats based on the decennial U.S. Census. The problem of allocating 400 legislators to 259 municipalities and ensuring equal representation is solved with floterial districts. For example, a city due more than five representatives but not quite six might elect five representing the city itself, and one more in a floterial district that includes some neighboring towns.
State legislators are paid $200 for their two-year term, plus mileage, effectively making them volunteers. The only other benefits are free use of toll roads and of state-owned resorts. A 2007 survey found that nearly half the members of the House are retired, with an average age over 60. [15]
The executive branch consists of the Governor, Executive Council, and state agencies. The executive branch implements and enforces the laws of the state. The Governor is the supreme executive and is afforded the title of His or Her Excellency, though the Constitution only provides for "His Excellency".
The Governor of New Hampshire is Chris Sununu (R).
Unlike most other states, the Governor shares executive power with the Executive Council, which the Governor chairs. [16] The Governor and Executive Council must concur on state contracts over $5,000, high-level agency appointments, and pardons. The Governor's veto power and command of the National Guard are not dependent on the Executive Council. The Governor and Councilors are elected to two-year terms. New Hampshire and Vermont are the only states that still elect governors to two-year, rather than four-year, terms. Agency appointments are generally for terms of four or five years, which means that a New Hampshire governor is unable to form a new cabinet when first taking office.
New Hampshire does not have a Lieutenant Governor as most states do. The Senate President serves as Acting Governor whenever the governor is out of the state or otherwise unable to perform the duties of the office. After the Senate President, the Speaker of the House, Secretary of State and State Treasurer are next in line to serve as Acting Governor.
The state's highest and the sole appellate court is the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and, with the other justices of the supreme court, oversees the judicial branch. New Hampshire has three additional courts and one division:
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the only official parties, for which the state lets a voter register, holds a primary election, and gives a column on the general-election ballot. Minor parties must poll 4% in a statewide or Congressional election to become official parties, and they lose that designation if they cease to poll 4%. The Libertarian Party had official party status from 1990 to 1994, and again from 2016 to 2018. [17]
A voter who is registered in an official political party cannot vote in a different party's primary election. Voters registered as "independent" can vote in any party's primary, but would be automatically registered as a member of that party. The voter can change registration at the polls after voting, and can also change registration in periodic meetings of a town's Supervisors of the Checklist or at the City Clerk's office. These rules are designed to impede the casting of a cross-over vote for a different party, which may have the goal of sabotaging its nomination. Registering in a party constrains a voter's choice of ballot, but demonstrates support for the chosen party, and is a prerequisite to being a candidate of that party.
The famous New Hampshire primary is summarized in the article on New Hampshire.
Nominations for all other partisan offices are decided in a separate primary election held in September of election years. In Presidential election cycles, this is the second primary election held in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire comprises 13 cities and 221 towns, plus 25 unincorporated places. [18] These governments conform to Dillon's Rule; that is, they are creatures of the state whose powers are limited to those expressly granted to them by law (NH RSA Title III). [19] Municipalities also have powers necessarily implied by those express powers, and those essential to the local government's existence, but this authority is narrowly construed, in contrast to the practice in most of New England. For statistics on New Hampshire municipalities and comparisons to municipalities elsewhere in New England, see New England town.
Cities are governed by Boards of Aldermen (in Manchester and Nashua) or City Councils (all other cities).
In towns, the executive power is the Board of Selectmen, except that some towns, especially larger ones, are governed by a Town Council. The Town Meeting is effectively the municipal legislature, of which every registered voter is a member. [20] Town Meeting approves, amends, or rejects the items on the warrant, which must be published in advance. Articles can be placed on the warrant by the town's executive board or by citizen petition.
Town Meeting meets annually, normally on the second Tuesday in March, to set the year's budget. Special Town Meetings can be called to deal with urgent transactions. The municipal election, which selects town officers for the coming year and may approve changes to local law such as the zoning ordinance, is thought of as a session of the Town Meeting.
Since 1995, a town may elect to govern itself by Official Ballot Referenda. This procedure is known as SB 2. In such towns, Town Meeting is a "deliberative" session that decides the wording of each warrant article; the binding decision is taken by secret ballot at the same time that the officers for the next year are elected. A three-fifths majority is required to adopt or to drop the SB 2 procedure.
School districts are separate from municipalities and, if governed by a Town Meeting, have a separate budget and agenda and an elected moderator, who may be different from the municipal moderator.
A school district can be governed by Official Ballot Referenda just as a town can.
Towns often combine into School Administrative Units (SAUs), at least for the management of high schools and sometimes for all the schools. If a town is a member of an SAU but operates its own elementary school, voters have a say in both organizations.
New Hampshire is divided into 10 counties. Counties have a sheriff's department for rural law enforcement and a jail, and may have a nursing home, an extension service for farmers, social services, and other services. In the smaller towns and unincorporated places, the county may provide services that are usually municipal, such as health inspection of restaurants.
The legislature of a county is the County Convention, a single chamber consisting of the "delegation" of all the state representatives elected from that county. [21] The county's executive power is an elected Board of Commissioners.
From time to time, it is proposed that county government be abolished and its functions transferred to the state or to municipalities. [22]
All of the above local governments are funded primarily by a property tax. The government budget, as voted by the county legislature, the Board of Aldermen or City Council, or the town or school-district town meeting, is divided into the assessed value of all property in the respective region, so that each property owner pays a share based on the property value. [23] Some or all of the tax is waived for certain types of property (for example, through religious, educational, and charitable exemptions) and for certain classes of taxpayer (such as the poor, elderly, and veterans). Large parcels are assessed on their current use rather than their "best and highest use" if the owner cedes development rights. A property owner receives a tax bill that breaks out millage rates that apply to the following:
The appraisal of a property directly affects the property tax. The state requires town-wide reappraisal at least every five years, typically conducted by professional consultants, to ensure that the valuations follow changes in the real estate market and the general price of real estate. [23] A property owner may challenge a reassessment.
New Hampshire's operating budget is set on a two-year basis, the latest period, July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2009, being FY (Fiscal Year) 2008 and FY2009. The FY2008 summary is as follows: [24]
Category | Expenditures |
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Health and social services | $1,878,467,014 |
Education | $1,458,949,429 |
Transportation | $554,362,042 |
Administration of justice and public protection | $497,656,860 |
General government | $489,197,174 |
Resource protection and development | $232,532,423 |
Total | $5,111,164,942 |
Source | Revenue |
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Federal Funds | $1,478,263,227 |
Other Funds | $1,694,862,406 |
General Fund | $1,563,832,988 |
Highway Funds | $276,455,391 |
Turnpikes Funds | $76,575,234 |
Fish and Game funds | $12,364,494 |
Sweepstakes Funds | $8,811,202 |
Total | $5,111,164,942 |
New Hampshire does not have a general income tax nor a general sales tax like many other U.S. states. It does have the following taxes: [25]
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Of the 50 U.S. states, New Hampshire is the fifth smallest by area and the tenth least populous, with a population of 1,377,529 residents as of the 2020 census. Concord is the state capital and Manchester is the most populous city. New Hampshire's motto, "Live Free or Die", reflects its role in the American Revolutionary War; its nickname, "The Granite State", refers to its extensive granite formations and quarries. It is well known nationwide for holding the first primary in the U.S. presidential election cycle, and for its resulting influence on American electoral politics.
Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting," is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where only elected representatives can participate in the governing assembly, any town voter may participate in an open town meeting. This form is distinct from town hall meetings held by elected officials to communicate with their constituents, which have no decision-making power.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the supreme court of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices appointed by the Governor and Executive Council to serve during "good behavior" until retirement or the age of seventy. The senior member of the Court is able to specially assign lower-court judges, as well as retired justices, to fill vacancies on the Court.
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that establishes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Texas, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of Texas.
The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor's power. While the governor retains the right to veto legislation passed by the New Hampshire General Court, and commands the New Hampshire National Guard, the council has veto power over pardons, contracts with a value greater than $10,000, and nominations. The Executive Council Chambers have been located in the New Hampshire State House since the chambers were added to the capitol in 1909.
The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the powers, duties, structure, and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state. The current Constitution of Florida was ratified on November 5, 1968.
Massachusetts shares with the five other New England states a governmental structure known as the New England town. Only the southeastern third of the state has functioning county governments; in western, central, and northeastern Massachusetts, traditional county-level government was eliminated in the late 1990s. Generally speaking, there are four kinds of public school districts in Massachusetts: local schools, regional schools, vocational/technical schools, and charter schools.
The Constitution of the State of New Hampshire is the fundamental law of the State of New Hampshire, with which all statute laws must comply. The constitution became effective June 2, 1784, when it replaced the state's constitution of 1776.
The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government.
The New Hampshire Senate is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. The Senate has been meeting since 1784. The Senate consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population. There are 14 Republicans and 10 Democrats currently serving in the Senate.
The government of Texas operates under the Constitution of Texas and consists of a unitary democratic state government operating under a presidential system that uses the Dillon Rule, as well as governments at the county and municipal levels.
The government of the U.S. State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. Through a system of separation of powers or "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and has some of its own authority, in turn, regulated by the other branches.
New Hampshire is often noted for its moderate politics and its status as a prominent swing state. Voters predominantly selected Republicans for national office during the 19th and 20th centuries until 1992. Since then, the state has been considered a swing state. Since 2006, control of the state legislature and New Hampshire's congressional seats have switched back and forth between Republicans and Democrats. Although the state has voted for the Democratic candidate in the last four presidential elections since 2004, it has done so by relatively small margins.
The structure of the government of South Dakota is based on that of the federal government, with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The structure of the state government is laid out in the Constitution of South Dakota, the highest law in the state. The constitution may be amended either by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of New Hampshire enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people, with most advances in LGBT rights occurring in the state within the past two decades. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in New Hampshire, and the state began offering same-sex couples the option of forming a civil union on January 1, 2008. Civil unions offered most of the same protections as marriages with respect to state law, but not the federal benefits of marriage. Same-sex marriage in New Hampshire has been legally allowed since January 1, 2010, and one year later New Hampshire's civil unions expired, with all such unions converted to marriages. New Hampshire law has also protected against discrimination based on sexual orientation since 1998 and gender identity since 2018. Additionally, a conversion therapy ban on minors became effective in the state in January 2019. In effect since January 1, 2024, the archaic common-law "gay panic defence" was formally abolished; by legislation implemented within August 2023.
Elections in the U.S. state of New Hampshire are held at national, state and local level. The state holds the first presidential primary in the national cycle. Elections for a range of state positions coincide with biennial elections for the House of Representatives.
The government of Vermont is a republican form of government modeled after the Government of the United States. The Constitution of Vermont is the supreme law of the state, followed by the Vermont Statutes. This is roughly analogous to the Federal United States Constitution, United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations respectively. Provision is made for the following frame of government under the Constitution of the State of Vermont: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. All members of the executive and legislative branch serve two-year terms including the governor and senators. There are no term limits for any office.
South Carolina government and politics covers the three different branches of government, as well as the state constitution, law enforcement agencies, federal representation, state finances, and state taxes. South Carolina is a state in the United States of America and was the eighth admitted to the Union. The state of South Carolina was preceded by the Crown Colony of South Carolina, a constitutional monarchy which was overthrown during the American Revolution. Presently, South Carolina's government is formed as a representative democracy.
Charles W. Morse is an American politician who served as president of the New Hampshire Senate and was acting governor of New Hampshire in 2017. Morse represented New Hampshire's 22nd State Senate district from 2010 to 2022, having previously held the same office from 2002 to 2006.
Louis Frank Edelblut is an American businessman and politician who is the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education. Edelblut formerly served as a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. During his term in the House, Edelblut represented Hillsborough County District 38, including the towns of Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Greenville, Greenfield, Hancock, Hillsborough, Lyndeborough, Wilton, and Windsor. He served on the Finance Committee, Special Committee on Pensions, and the Child and Family Law Committee. He was a Republican candidate for Governor of New Hampshire in 2016, narrowly finishing second in the primary.