Sununu signs bill changing Strafford County election. Commissioners vow to challenge it.

DOVER — Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed House Bill 75 into law Friday changing the way Strafford County commissioners are elected. The signing sparked loud protests from Democrats around the state and a promise to challenge the law in the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

The law means that rather than the top three vote getters countywide being elected as in the past, starting in 2024 there will be three separate districts in the county, unless the law is successfully challenged. Longtime Strafford County Commission Chairman George Maglaras, a former Dover mayor, would have to run against Commissioner Deanna Rollo in a Democratic primary, if both seek reelection next year.

It also means Strafford County will join all the other counties in New Hampshire with districts for election of commissioners, who are the Executive Branch of the county government, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county, such as the nursing home and jail.

Strafford County commissioners to challenge new law

Maglaras said the all-Democratic commissioners will challenge the law in the state Supreme Court because they contend it is unconstitutional.

"We are extremely disappointed," Maglaras said. "We had forwarded our legal opinion to himself (the governor) and his legal counsel outlining why we believed this bill to be unconstitutional. Obviously, he did not believe us, so we will be going to the Supreme Court. I think it's too bad he politicized this. We were hoping he would not."

Democrats have long dominated Strafford County commissioner elections. Maglaras, who has served since 1983, is joined on the current commission by Democrats Robert Watson and Rollo. All were reelected in 2022, defeating Republican opponents. The last Republican commissioner was in office in 2011-12, according to county records.

Maglaras said there was never a public hearing on the bill in Strafford County.

"We were denied our voice, the voice of our residents who were not allowed to express their concerns," he said. "Our residents' rights were denied because of the gerrymandering of right-wing radicals. This should never have been done."

House Bill 75 creates three districts. The cities of Rochester and Dover, by far the most populous in the county at more than 30,000 each, will each be split among two districts.

State Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, has previously responded to critics who point to this as part of their claims the bill amounts is an example of gerrymandering.

"It's impossible to do math that keeps Rochester or Dover all together," Gray said. "Especially Dover, where you've got Rollinsford that doesn't touch anything other than Dover and Somersworth. It's the only way you can get the numbers to work and have even districts."

The argument over whether HB 75 is unconstitutional

Redistricting of voting maps happens nationally every 10 years, following the once-a-decade Census. Gray helped lead that process in New Hampshire last year with Republicans in majority control of the Senate, House and governor's office. No changes were made to Strafford County commissioner election at that time.

Democrats have argued changing the election now amounts to redistricting outside of the once-a-decade process and would open the door to the party is in power at any given time changing elections districts.

Gray has pushed back against claims the bill is unconstitutional and pointed out Strafford was the only one of New Hampshire's 10 counties that elect commissioners by countywide vote rather than districts.

Gray said an attorney told him "districting is different than redistricting," meaning this change isn't part of the redistricting process because there were no districts for Strafford County commissioners. Gray said another attorney advised him that since no action was taken on Strafford County commissioners during the redistricting process last year, "we still have our once-in-10-years opportunity."

What Democrats in state Senate are saying

Following the governor’s signing of HB 75, a joint statement was released by state Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Salem, who is the party's leader in the Senate, along with Seacoast area state Sens. David Watters, D-Dover, and Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth.

The group echoed their argument that "redistricting process is a sacred responsibility of the legislature" and "legally required to only occur every 10 years. Notably, when we took up the redistricting process nearly two years ago, there were no calls from Strafford County officials or residents, who would be impacted by this redistricting, to implement the changes proposed in HB 75."

The senators said, “By enacting HB 75 into law, we will bring into question the fairness and integrity of our democratic redistricting process here in New Hampshire moving forward. ... This act will further damage our constituents' trust in the democratic process, and it is deeply concerning that the governor has chosen to further politicize our election systems during these tumultuous political times, rather than working to protect them.”

Sununu did not immediately issue a comment upon signing the bill.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Sununu signs bill changing Strafford County election. Dems protest.