Candidates on the Manchester ballot

Click the links under each individual candidate below the story to learn a little more about them. In some cases, we could not find photographs or websites to refer you to. If you are a candidate and we missed your website or photograph, please send it along to me at robidouxnews@gmail.com and I will update your profile.

MANCHESTER, NH – November 4 is Election Day. You’ve been bombarded with election mailers, you’ve seen the TV attack ads, you’ve watched the debates and you are likely tired of it all.

You’ve been accused of “voter apathy” but neither the Republican nor the Democrat parties do much to make sure you’re truly informed. Meanwhile, tons of money has gone into glossy mailers that tell you why you shouldn’t vote for the other side.

Yet, here we are in New Hampshire, the Live Free or Die state. This is our thing. Democracy and citizenship go hand in hand here. We are the home of the First in the Nation Primary.

Considering that getting 20 percent of the city’s population to show up at the polls on election day would be a good day, it’s time to engage.

Maybe you are feeling like it doesn’t matter who’s in office, that it’s all politics as usual. And to some degree you are right.

But that is true in part because voters abdicate their voices, allowing those with agendas and strong partisan positions to take over on election day.

Maybe you feel uninformed. You probably are.

That’s where we come in.

We wanted to help you be an informed voter on Nov. 4.

We spent days trying to gather up information about all the candidates on your ballot. We reached out to both the Republican and Democratic party leaders, Jennifer Horn and Ray Buckley, as well as both Hillsborough county party leaders.

Not one of them responded to our simple question:

“Does the state Democratic and Republican party post a voter’s guide with photos and biographies/platforms of each candidate?”

So we did the leg work, and searched for information/websites on each and every candidate. The result is what we’ve posted below for you. It’s not great. But we’re calling it a relatively comprehensive round-up of the candidates, based on whatever information they’ve made publicly available to their prospective constituents.

Our best resources included livefreeordiealliance.org and the State of NH House of Representatives website, for all the incumbents. Facebook was also a primary source.

It has been exhausting and less fruitful than we’d hoped. But it is something.

For future elections, we would urge the state parties to create a roster of candidates and provide relevant information to voters directly on their party sites. Currently, those sites are focused on the top of the ticket – plenty of information and ink devoted to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Scott Brown, and the congressional races.

But life in Manchester is most affected by our state representatives – and there are plenty of them. They are our voice in Concord.

We find the lack of a comprehensive voters guide to be shameful.

We hope you find this information useful. You have some time to cram for Tuesday’s election. Take this and run with it, directly to the polls on November 4, and exercise your right to vote!

>Click here to learn about the City Charter amendment question on the ballot.

Where to vote:

Click here to enter your address and find out where to vote in Manchester. It’s super easy.

From the Manchester City Clerk’s office

Your vote counts! Don’t forget to vote at the State General Election and Special Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 4th. Polls will open at 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. for your convenience.

On election day you will receive two ballots, a white State General Election ballot featuring all candidates for state and federal offices and a yellow Special Municipal Election ballot featuring a proposed amendment to the City Charter. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to propose a charter amendment that will permit the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen to utilize the City Assessor’s estimate of increased property valuation since the prior year in setting their estimated tax rates for the annual budget. Estimated increases in property valuation from the prior year would include new commercial development, new residential development and significant improvements in existing commercial and residential buildings.

Moderators at each polling location will begin processing absentee ballots at 10:00 a.m. For additional election information, including sample ballots for each ward, requirements for registration and appropriate identification to vote, absentee ballot requests, and your polling location, check out our Voter Registration and Elections page or call us at 624-6455.

How to vote

If you’re registered, then you probably know the drill. If not, that’s really no excuse. You can register right at the polls. Here’s a link to the scoop.