Who is Margaret Drye actually listening to?
New Hampshire prides itself on citizen government. We elect representatives from our own communities, give residents the opportunity to testify on legislation, and expect those representatives to listen.
But is anyone listening?
According to NH Deserves Better, a website tracking legislative votes against online public testimony, N.H. State Rep. Margaret Drye aligned with the prevailing testimony position on just 18 of 105 scored actions. That’s 17%.
On HB 1300, legislation concerning school tax caps, 641 people submitted testimony opposing the bill, compared with 324 supporting it. Drye supported it.
On SB 101, concerning statewide public school open enrollment, opposition was even more overwhelming: 2,174 opposed, 75 supported. Drye supported that legislation, too.
Meanwhile, the New Hampshire House Republican Alliance gave Drye a 96.7% alignment rating.
Think about that contrast. Just 17% alignment with the prevailing position in online public testimony, but nearly 97% alignment with a political organization’s legislative priorities.
Online testimony is not a scientific poll, and representatives should not simply vote according to whichever side generates the most submissions. Sometimes good leadership means taking an unpopular position.
But when a representative repeatedly votes contrary to the prevailing testimony, shouldn’t voters expect an explanation?
What evidence justified those decisions? Whose concerns were considered? What consequences will those votes have for the communities she represents?
And perhaps most importantly, when the interests of political organizations and the concerns expressed by the public diverge, whose interests should come first?
Margaret Drye represents Charlestown, Cornish, Newport, Plainfield and Unity. Her responsibility is to those communities, not to a political scorecard.
Nobody expects a representative to agree with every constituent. But we should expect independent judgment, transparency and accountability.
If our representatives are listening, their voting records should give us some indication of whose voices they’re hearing.