It’s Town Meeting Day!

Today is Town Meeting Day in municipalities across NH. It is a time-honored tradition passed down from the earliest days of our democracy here in New Hampshire.

Unlike in many towns and cities across the country, most communities in NH, including here in our town of Hampton, practice a form of direct democracy where the residents form the legislative body and make decisions about how their tax money is allocated, how land is used, and who represents them on various boards and committees.

Stalwart volunteers in Hampton ready to process your ballots!

Today, in Hampton, we have a number of important decisions to make as a community, including on Warrant Article 38, which reads:

"To see if the Town will vote to express that it is not necessary or wise for the Hampton Police Department to enter into a Section 287 (g) agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)."

I enthusiastically recommended this article, along with all four of my colleagues on the Select Board — a non-partisan board with Republican and Democratic members. The article was written, revised, and endorsed by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

I am hoping that our town will come together today to affirm that our community does not want to collaborate with the Trump Administration in its unlawful and immoral immigration crackdown here in Hampton.

As an election commissioner, I'll be here at the polls, starting at 7am, closing at 8pm (we stay open late in Hampton!) and then into the wee hours of the morning until every ballot is counted.

Siralina and I got started early today!

Sure, it's a long day, but it's energizing and inspiring to hand out ballots to my neighbors and ensure that each of us has an opportunity to make our voice heard.

If you are in Hampton, I hope to see you at the polls today!

Here's to building a better world, together!