Republican Shawn Jasper is applauded after being re-elected Speaker of the House during Organization Day Wednesday Dec. 7, 2016 at the Statehouse in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Republican Shawn Jasper is applauded after being re-elected Speaker of the House during Organization Day Wednesday Dec. 7, 2016 at the Statehouse in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Credit: Jim Cole

Concord — Republicans Shawn Jasper and Chuck Morse easily won re-election on Wednesday as House Speaker and Senate president, respectively, offering a display of GOP unity heading into the new two-year session. Jasper’s strong victory in particular stands in contrast to the intra-party disputes that bedeviled House Republicans during the past two years. When Gov.-elect Chris Sununu is sworn in in January, the GOP will fully control the Statehouse for the first time in a dozen years.

“I am prepared to keep my door open to work with all of you, to listen and to hear what it is you have to say,” Jasper said.

Outgoing Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan joined lawmakers to officially swear them in. The Legislature also re-elected William Dwyer as state treasurer and Bill Gardner as secretary of state. Gardner has held the job for 40 years, making him the country’s longest-serving official in that position.

In his acceptance speech, Gardner said the next two years will be an “appropriate time” for the Legislature to review the state’s election laws. Republicans are considering eliminating Election Day registration and making other election law revisions. Gardner did not explicitly endorse or criticize either measure in his remarks, but noted some of New Hampshire’s voting laws exist to avoid federal mandates.

Same-day registration, for example, gets New Hampshire out of provisions of the so-called Motor Voter law that requires states to have voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles. “It would be an appropriate time this session to take a look back at that decision and why it was made,” Gardner said.

In accepting leadership posts, both Jasper and Morse promised to approach their jobs with civility and to act in what they believe are the best interests of the state.

“Everything you do is important to somebody,” Morse told his fellow senators.

“Don’t underestimate what it means to be a New Hampshire senator.”

The new session begins in the first week in January