Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Governor's Millennial Council May Take a Stand on Voting Rights, Transgender Issues and More

Casey McDermott, NHPR
The council has met several times since launching in September, but its meetings have not been widely promoted.

Gov. Chris Sununu's Millennial Advisory Council is still waiting to hear the governor's feedback on a set of policy recommendations they put together at his request last month. In the meantime, the group may start weighing in directly on a range of high-profile issues before the legislature this session. 

At its meeting Tuesday night, members of the council suggested taking a stand on a range of issues: commuter rail, transgender protections, a proposal to raise New Hampshire’s child marriage age and more.  

Adam Lord, a Manchester accountant who sits on the council, says lawmakers need to understand how their votes on these and other issues affect New Hampshire's ability to recruit young professionals.

“Some of these issues can affect the perception of the state,” Lord said.

Josh Bushueff, of Claremont, also said voting rights should be a priority.

“Anything that makes voting at all more challenging for millennial students in the state is a problem,” Bushueff said, eliciting nods from fellow councilors. “And our ability to discuss that and weigh in on that when it's a topic of discussion is super important."

Council Chairman Alex Fries, who works for Sununu, agreed to carve out time to discuss several recent voting bills at the group’s next meeting and welcomed other members of the council to send suggestions for other legislation to take up.

“I think we need to figure out a way where all issues have a chance to be discussed in any form, or some form,” Fries said.

Outside of keeping their eyes on what’s happening at the State House, the council is also making plans to take its meetings on the road in the months ahead. There's no official schedule yet, but the group has floated the idea of traveling to the Seacoast, Keene area and other parts of the state in an effort to get more millennials involved in its work.

The council hasn’t finalized a date for its next meeting, but it will likely take place at the end of February.

Casey is a Senior News Editor for NHPR. You can contact her with questions or feedback at cmcdermott@nhpr.org.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.