New Hampshire Democratic Party Platform

Adopted June 21st, 2022

​

NH Democrats put people first. We know our economy has to work for all of us, not just those at the top. We know that quality public services are foundational to the common good.  No matter our circumstances, where we live, or who we are, we support one another and welcome all who share these values. 

​

Democrats know life in New Hampshire has become more costly.  We understand the financial strains individuals and families are experiencing and what it will take to ease those financial pressures.  A strong economy that works for all Granite Staters depends on an inclusive, thriving democracy where all voices are heard, welcomed, and protected.  

 

To promote strong families and communities, and to create a resilient, growing economy, New Hampshire Democrats commit to the following values
 

​

​

Protecting Democracy and Voting Rights

The freedom to choose our leaders and speak up for what we believe in is foundational to American democracy. Our democracy works best when all citizens participate. Restricting someone’s vote is taking away their freedom.

• We believe in policies that broaden voter participation and make it more convenient to vote. 

• We believe that voting is a right and responsibility. We support fair redistricting free of partisan gerrymandering to ensure every vote counts.

• Election officials play a critical role in ensuring the fairness and accuracy of our elections. We support training, resources, and protection to enable them to do their jobs.

• We reject all attempts to undermine legitimate election results.

• We reject all attempts at voter suppression, especially measures that make it difficult for any population group or individual to exercise their constitutional right to vote. 

• We support modernizing our voter registration and voting processes. 

• We support expanded absentee voting.

• In order to safeguard Granite Staters’ rights, we believe civics education should occur at home, in schools, and throughout the community to build awareness and understanding of our democratic institutions.  

 

Economic Building Blocks

• We know that government serves a vital role in partnering with the private sector  and public employers to create the building blocks New Hampshire’s economy needs to thrive today and tomorrow.

• We believe that good government promotes business development statewide by ensuring the availability of a well-educated, well-trained, and well-compensated workforce with competitive wages and benefits and the skills needed to compete in a globalized economy.

• Government plays a critical role in creating policies that promote an economy with wages high enough to allow working people to support their families and help workers keep and improve their legal rights to safe, healthy, and fair working conditions.

• We believe Government must promote policies that include ensuring the right of every worker to join a union, making the minimum wage a living wage, achieving pay equity for women and people of color, restoring overtime protections, and supporting prevailing wage standards.​

• Government must ensure access to infrastructure and services to make our communities attractive to businesses and allow them to attract qualified employees to our state through:

  •  affordable housing 

  • high quality public education from young children through high school and beyond

  •  affordable and convenient child care 

  • Affordable access to health care services 

• Government plays an important role in ensuring a comprehensive transportation infrastructure, including bus and rail service, that allows the transport of people, goods, and services across our state, and makes it possible for our businesses and communities to thrive.​

• Government is responsible for helping establish telecommunications and broadband infrastructure so that all Granite Staters can learn and work everywhere in the state. 

• We recognize the importance of our immigrant population to our workforce and economic growth. 

• We believe government should encourage preservation, protection, and engagement with arts, culture, history, and natural beauty. 

• It is the role of government to provide an adequate safety net to protect individuals in times of economic distress along with populations historically most in need.

 

EDUCATION

Public education is a bedrock principle of our free and democratic society.

• All students have the right to a quality education, from early childhood through post-secondary college or career training.

• We appreciate and value our community school personnel.  Our teachers are professionally trained educators who consistently act in the best interests of students while balancing competing pressures.

• We recognize the opportunity gap between and within our communities. We support policies to equalize education funding and eliminate the gap for children across income levels and zip codes.

• We reject all efforts to divert public funding to privatized education as part of the systemic attack on our community schools.

• Adequately funding our public community colleges and universities is critical.

• We believe all students should be able to attend college or career education without a crushing debt burden. 

• We believe that our educators support their students appropriately and that they teach history and scientific principles accurately to all students.

• Children and teachers have the right to be safe in school.  We support enforced anti-bullying policies and laws.

• We support gun-free schools. We will fight any attempts to arm teachers or militarize schools under the pretense of school safety.

• We believe that public schools are the first line of defense in New Hampshire’s mental health, substance use disorder, and child protection crises and that behavioral support for students and teachers is crucial.

 

Diversity Makes Us Stronger

• We believe our diversity makes us stronger and more welcoming to newcomers and businesses. 

• We celebrate  New Hampshire’s diversity of race, ethnicity, religious belief, disability, immigration status, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.

• We believe in basic protections and security for all people in our state and that everyone should be free from discrimination in all areas of our society including  employment, housing, education, health care, our justice system, and in accessing all areas of public accommodations. 

• People who identify as LGBTQ+ deserve equal rights and opportunities in all aspects of life and society, including but not limited to participation in sports, career opportunities, health care and insurance coverage. 

• People who experience disabilities deserve access to equal treatment and opportunities.

• Immigration is an opportunity for growth. We welcome immigrants from all countries and backgrounds. We object to the use of state funds and state authorities to enforce federal immigration laws which destroy families and disrupt communities.

• We support diversity, equity, and inclusion training throughout our communities in all settings.

 

Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community

• We believe that LGBTQ+ individuals of all ages deserve equal rights and opportunities in all aspects of life and society.

• We promote physical, behavioral, and mental health care that is affirming of the LGBTQ+ community at all ages and believe in having conversations that help destigmatize LGBTQ+ people and their rights.

• We will  work to remove barriers for members of the LGBTQ+ community in NH, fight to ensure equal civil rights for these individuals, and advocate for the safety of all LGBTQ+ people in NH.

• We affirm the rights of transgender and gender non-binary people of all ages. We believe in the protection and promotion of equal rights for these individuals in the workplace, housing, community, educational settings, and beyond.

 

Health Care

• We believe health care is a basic human right, including affordable prescription drugs and affordable and accessible universal health care.

• Quality health care includes physical, mental, and oral health care, including prevention and early intervention in clinically appropriate settings in all urban and rural areas.

• All people must have access to affordable, safe, legal, and accessible reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion care, regardless of geography, income, or insurance coverage, and free from government interference.  We oppose bans on abortion and other measures that add barriers to accessing care as arbitrary and unnecessary infringements on individual liberty, freedom, and privacythat pose a risk to patient health and wellbeing.

• Investment in telehealth technologies and access will improve the delivery of health care services to all residents.

• Public health and emergency preparedness are responsibilities of government. We must utilize federal funding and support programs to reduce the use of local tax dollars when implementing public health programs and prepare us for future public health emergencies.

• Our mental health system must be comprehensive and represent the full continuum of care.

• Public health policy must be informed by the best available scientific evidence.

• LGBTQ+ individuals, people experiencing disabilities or mental health problems, or from underserved communities must have access to comprehensive, culturally sensitive health care services that maintain or improve their quality of life. 

• Our youth must have access to sexual, reproductive, and mental health education that promotes personal health, social stability, and gender equality.

• Substance abuse continues to be a crisis facing our state. We must invest in the expansion of prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery programs.

 

Public Safety and Justice

• We support our law enforcement, firefighters and EMS personnel who protect us. We achieve this through safe and healthy working conditions, proper staffing, and adequate funding. 

• We believe the safety of children is a fundamental function of government and the responsibility of everyone.

• Protecting people from domestic and sexual violence is a core function of government.

• We support continued training and support for law enforcement officers as they serve our diverse communities. This includes non-violent strategies for assisting those experiencing mental and behavioral health issues.

•  We believe in responsible gun ownership. We support  universal background checks to protect our communities from gun violence. We believe that military- style weapons, bump stocks, and high-capacity magazines do not belong on our streets.

• We believe communities should have the right to establish gun-free zones in certain public places.

• We support maintaining the security and safety of our State House to protect Granite Staters, guests, and children who visit, as well as all members of the General Court and those who work there.

• We understand that prevention, education, treatment, diversion programs and rehabilitation are often more effective than incarceration. 

• Cannabis should be legalized and regulated.

• We support full, fair, and timely access to our courts, both criminal and civil, and the protection of the constitutional right to a trial by jury. We believe in the state’s responsibility in providing adequate legal counsel to those who cannot afford representation.

• We oppose excessive bail for the indigent as well as incarceration due to an inability to pay bail or criminal fines.

• We oppose the privatization of prisons. We believe prison privatization creates improper incentives toward imprisonment rather than prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, and unnecessarily increases the cost to taxpayers.

 

Climate, Energy, and Agriculture

• Climate change is an issue that exacerbates all others. It is a monumental impediment to achieving our values of social, economic, and environmental progress, justice, and fairness that are addressed throughout our platform.

• We reject all efforts to deny the validity of science. Climate change presents a real and imminent threat, and it is our immediate responsibility to proactively address and counter its effects.

• We support the creation of a statewide comprehensive climate action plan with clearly specified timelines and goals.

• Achieving energy efficiency and economic growth are complementary goals. We believe that thoughtful economic development will protect our environment and create good local jobs, while addressing the climate crisis and ensuring that our natural resources are preserved for future generations.

• We believe we must eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels by no later than 2040 by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, infrastructure, and jobs.

• It is our duty and responsibility to preserve clean air and water and a healthy environment for ourselves and for future generations. 

• Everyone should have affordable access to a safe and healthy food supply.

• We actively support our local family farms that feed New Hampshire and bolster its economy. We promote sustainable agricultural practices which lead to healthier outcomes for the environment and our communities.

• We support the protection of our mountains, forests, parks, coastal waters, lakes, rivers, and streams, which enable us all to enjoy the beauty of our state and provide healthy recreational activities. 

• We are dedicated to the protection of our aquifers and other fragile ecosystems.

 

Fiscal Responsibility

• We are committed to engaging the public to develop a fiscally sound, transparent, and accountable balanced budget to serve the needs of all Granite Staters.  

• We respect both the will of the people and the constitutional requirement of fair and equal taxation. 

• We believe an effective and efficient government must provide essential services including supporting the health and safety of our residents, public education, the protection of our environment, access to courts and justice, consumer protection, and the physical infrastructure necessary to maintain a robust economy and expand employment opportunities. 

• We believe the state budget must reflect the true costs of assuring an effective and efficient government and be supported by sufficient, sustainable revenue.

• We oppose tax policies that result in the reduction of essential programs and services. 

• We oppose unfunded mandates and downshifting costs to the local municipalities and property taxpayers. 

 

Support for Our Veterans and Military Families

• We honor and respect our veterans, active duty and reserve military personnel, national guard and military families. 

• We believe the best way to honor our veterans is to keep our commitment to provide physical and mental health care, education, and disability support throughout  their lifetimes. 

• We support policies that create employment opportunities for veterans and address the crises of homelessness, substance use disorder, and suicide. 

• We support the expansion of access to health care through contracting with local hospitals and doctors to ensure veterans have access to health care services in both urban and rural areas across the state.

 

First in the Nation Primary

• We are proud to support and defend New Hampshire’s first in the nation primary and will fight to protect this important status. 

• We welcome all candidates to our state, treat them fairly,  and take the responsibility of hosting primary candidates seriously. 

• We are committed to maintaining fairness and respecting all candidates in primary elections. 

​

Respectfully submitted,

 

The 2022 New Hampshire Democratic Party Platform Committee.

​

Senator Cindy Rosenwald, Chair

William Bolton, Co-Chair

Matthew Gerding, Co-Chair

Councilor Cinde Warmington

Luz Bay

Representative Gerri Cannon

Laura Currier Carty

Dan Chartrand

Representative Manny Espitia

Senator Melanie Levesque

Honorable Sue Ford

Erin George-Kelly

Representative Jerry Knirk

Ruth Larson

Representative Andrew Maneval

Sumathi Madhure

Teresa Moler

Representative Kate Murrray

Paul Robitaille

Ellis Robinson