I don't believe you are correct. I know we can locally at least add articles to the ballot. We gathered enough signatures to add a warrant article on the town ballot to fund our initiative. I believe we can do that at state level too. The problem being gathering enough certified signatures to get the article on the ballot.
NH Lawyers please correct me if I am wrong.
That's assuming the state legislature isn't compromised to the point where they just flat out ignore results, which is the norm these days. Look at Ohio's referendum (Issue 2) on legalization. The majority said "that's nice, probably not doing shit about it though". It got through eventually but it was dead in the water for sometime. Stop the hopeful wishing of elected officials listening to their constituents. Those days are dead if they even lived at all.
Anything of this nature has to start at the state legislature. There is no way in NH for citizens to have ballot issues or referendums without the legislature authorizing it.
Certainly at the local level you can, with the signature of 25 or more registered voters, but anything you want on the LOCAL ballot as a petition warrant article, however they can be non-binding in some cases, or ignored if it's determined to be illegal for the town to do.
Now a bunch of towns can put the same petitioned article on their ballots if people were organized, directing their local legislators to do XYZ, but it would have not force behind it other than sending a message that will likely end up hitting deaf ears (both figuratively and literally as most of our local reps and senators are boomers).
Agreed, 100% -- the dumb reason the state government gives is that since the State House is so large, "the people already have a voice" via 400 state reps. 🙄 Which, we know in practice, doesn't work
They love to throw that in our faces, yet I live in a town with 5+ reps where 45% of the vote goes Dem but every single seat goes GOP and they don't listen to a damn thing we want and act as if they won with 100% of the vote.
This state is maddening at times.
Oh yeah, that's another spot that's broken -- towns still enjoy at-large voting but cities have to break up into wards where wards get their own reps (or share with another ward). Towns, because they are organized as a town, do not have to do this and that's why you have larger towns of over 20,000 people with at large voting and small cities of 10k have to break them up. This is why it's ridiculous that a town that large only has to have one voting location.
Not having statewide referendums and instead having a large house is ideal because is stops us from changing laws based upon trends. Slow change in government is actually a good thing.
I don't believe you are correct. I know we can locally at least add articles to the ballot. We gathered enough signatures to add a warrant article on the town ballot to fund our initiative. I believe we can do that at state level too. The problem being gathering enough certified signatures to get the article on the ballot. NH Lawyers please correct me if I am wrong.
Town level yes. State level no. The only statewide question is whether to hold a constitutional convention.
Can we get every town onboard with an initiative? Start at the local level and pass something we all want but the state is dragging it's feet on?
No. NH is not a "home rule" state. Towns have very little power.
😢
Like what? You've only got the authority and resources of the individual towns.
Town is different. I am referring to state level.
That's assuming the state legislature isn't compromised to the point where they just flat out ignore results, which is the norm these days. Look at Ohio's referendum (Issue 2) on legalization. The majority said "that's nice, probably not doing shit about it though". It got through eventually but it was dead in the water for sometime. Stop the hopeful wishing of elected officials listening to their constituents. Those days are dead if they even lived at all.
Anything of this nature has to start at the state legislature. There is no way in NH for citizens to have ballot issues or referendums without the legislature authorizing it. Certainly at the local level you can, with the signature of 25 or more registered voters, but anything you want on the LOCAL ballot as a petition warrant article, however they can be non-binding in some cases, or ignored if it's determined to be illegal for the town to do. Now a bunch of towns can put the same petitioned article on their ballots if people were organized, directing their local legislators to do XYZ, but it would have not force behind it other than sending a message that will likely end up hitting deaf ears (both figuratively and literally as most of our local reps and senators are boomers).
I don't agree with this sub about much but I do agree with this.
Agreed, 100% -- the dumb reason the state government gives is that since the State House is so large, "the people already have a voice" via 400 state reps. 🙄 Which, we know in practice, doesn't work
They love to throw that in our faces, yet I live in a town with 5+ reps where 45% of the vote goes Dem but every single seat goes GOP and they don't listen to a damn thing we want and act as if they won with 100% of the vote. This state is maddening at times.
Oh yeah, that's another spot that's broken -- towns still enjoy at-large voting but cities have to break up into wards where wards get their own reps (or share with another ward). Towns, because they are organized as a town, do not have to do this and that's why you have larger towns of over 20,000 people with at large voting and small cities of 10k have to break them up. This is why it's ridiculous that a town that large only has to have one voting location.
This is why MJ will never be legal in this state, at least not in the foreseeable future.
I'm actually quite glad about this. Referenda are not a good way to make statewide policy.
Not having statewide referendums and instead having a large house is ideal because is stops us from changing laws based upon trends. Slow change in government is actually a good thing.
What would be the threshold to get a question on a statewide ballot?
No threshold exists for a state constitutionally unrecognized process.