HB125: relative to electing Strafford county commissioners at-large.

HB 125 - AS INTRODUCED

2025 SESSION

25-0104

02/08

HOUSE BILL 125

AN ACT relative to electing Strafford county commissioners at-large.

SPONSORS: Rep. Horrigan, Straf. 10; Rep. H. Howard, Straf. 4; Rep. Howland, Straf. 20; Rep. Wall, Straf. 11; Sen. Watters, Dist 4

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

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ANALYSIS

This bill changes how county commissioners are elected in Strafford county and provides that all county commissioners shall be elected at large.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

25-0104

02/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five

AN ACT relative to electing Strafford county commissioners at-large.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Strafford County; Elected for 2-Year Term; County Commissioner Districts. Amend RSA 653:1, VI(c) to read as follows:

(c) Strafford county [one county commissioner by the voters in each county commissioner district] 3 county commissioners by all the voters of the county; 

2 Strafford County; County Commissioner Districts. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 662:4 to read as follows:

662:4 County Commissioner Districts. Except for Strafford county where 3 county commissioners shall be elected at large, for the purposes of choosing county commissioners, the counties shall be divided into districts as follows:

3 Strafford County; County Commissioners Districts. Amend RSA 662:4, IX-X to read as follows:

IX. [Strafford: District 1, the towns of Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, wards 1, 5, and 6, of the city of Rochester, and wards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the city of Somersworth; District 2, wards 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the city of Dover, and the towns of Durham, Lee, and Rollinsford; District 3, Barrington, wards 5 and 6 of the city of Dover, Madbury, wards 2, 3, and 4 of the city of Rochester, and the town of Strafford. 

X.] Sullivan: District 1, the town of Cornish and the city of Claremont; District 2, the towns of Croydon, Grantham, Newport, Plainfield, and Springfield; District 3, the towns of Acworth, Charlestown, Goshen, Langdon, Lempster, Sunapee, Unity, and Washington.

4 Application; Strafford County. The changes in Strafford county commissioner districts established by this act shall not affect constituencies or terms of office of commissioners presently in office. The commissioner districts established by this act shall be in effect for the purpose of electing commissioners at the 2026 state general election. If there shall be a vacancy in a commissioner district for any reason prior to the 2026 state general election, the vacancy shall be filled as provided in law for Strafford county commissioners that existed for the 2024 state general election.

5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.