Moultonborough wants fairly drawn districts
The recent Moultonborough Town Meeting was a great example of small-town democracy in action.
Votes on both the school budget and the town budget moved along relatively smoothly — something that has not been the case in several neighboring towns this year. It was encouraging to see the value our community places on education.
Perhaps most notable was the overwhelming passage of a warrant article proposing the creation of an Independent Redistricting Committee for New Hampshire. It was encouraging to see that many Moultonborough residents recognize that the increasingly partisan nature of New Hampshire politics is unhealthy for our state. Gerrymandering — no matter which party is responsible — only deepens division and erodes trust in our democratic system. Establishing an independent commission would be a meaningful step toward fairer representation and restoring confidence in the process.
Written into the article was the request to transmit written notice to the Governor and all members of the General Court within 30 days. The onus is now on the select board to respect the wishes of Moultonborough residents and inform Concord of our desire to have logically drawn districts that allow voters to choose their representatives fairly.
Moultonborough’s town meeting showed that respectful debate and civic participation are still alive and well in our community.