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New Hampshire state executive official elections, 2016
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November 8, 2016 |
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January 4, 2017 |
Last updated: November 2016
One state executive office in New Hampshire
was
up for election in 2016, plus five seats on the Executive Council:
*Note: Though Ballotpedia does not currently track these five offices, we provided limited coverage of the 2016 elections in order to ensure that readers had comprehensive access to information about the elections that appeared on their ballot.
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. New Hampshire utilizes a hybrid primary system. Unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary, but in order to do so, they have to choose a party before voting. This changes their status from unaffiliated to affiliated with that party unless they fill out a card to return to undeclared status.[1]
New Hampshire's primary elections took place on September 13, 2016.
Party control in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has had a divided government since 2011: Democrats hold the governorship while Republicans hold a strong majority in the House and a three-seat majority in the state Senate. New Hampshire voters have continuously sent at least one Republican to the U.S. Senate in statewide elections since 1979. It is also worth noting that the five-member New Hampshire Executive Council, which is given broad powers under the state constitution to approve or block gubernatorial actions, has a Republican majority.[2]
The office of governor of New Hampshire has been largely controlled by Republicans for the past century. Republicans held the seat from 1925 until 2005 with the exception of three Democratic officeholders from 1963 to 1967, 1979 to 1982, and 1997 to 2005. Democrat John Lynch narrowly unseated incumbent Craig Benson (R) in 2004 by about two percentage points, and Democrats have held the seat since.
Elections
Governor
The New Hampshire gubernatorial race was one of the most-watched gubernatorial contests in 2016. Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (R) defeated Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern (D) in the general election. With Republicans gaining the governor's seat and maintaining majority control in both chambers of the state legislature, the party also won trifecta control of the state.
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Executive Council
New Hampshire held an election for all five seats on the Executive Council on November 8, 2016.
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Voter registration
For full information about voting in New Hampshire, contact the state election agency.
Registration
To vote in New Hampshire, you must be a New Hampshire resident and United States citizen who will be 18 years of age or older on the day of the next election.[5]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
New Hampshire does not permit online voter registration.
Past elections
2015
There were no state executive elections in New Hampshire in 2015.
2014
The governor's office was the only state executive office up for election.
2013
There were no elections in New Hampshire in 2013.
2012
The governor's office was the only state executive office up for election.
State profile
| Demographic data for New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,330,111 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 8,953 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 93.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.2% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 34.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $66,779 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Hampshire. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
New Hampshire voted for the Democratic candidate in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in New Hampshire, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[6]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Hampshire had one Retained Pivot County and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 0.55 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More New Hampshire coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Hampshire
- United States congressional delegations from New Hampshire
- Public policy in New Hampshire
- Endorsers in New Hampshire
- New Hampshire fact checks
- More...
See also
| New Hampshire | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State Website, "How to Register to Vote in New Hampshire," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ State of New Hampshire Executive Council, "State of New Hampshire Executive Council," accessed August 27, 2015
- ↑ The Laconia Daily Sun, "Hosmer for Governor?" August 24, 2015
- ↑ Political Wire, "Hassan Will Run for Senate in New Hampshire," October 5, 2015
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
