Last night, a helpful post on redistricting went up on DailyKos. askew provides historical context, an overview of the Democratic playing field, and a call to action, all in one little paragraph:

In 2001-2... Because the Republicans controlled so many state houses during the restricting process, they were able to create gerrymandered districts that resulted in historic gains for the Republicans in the 2002 midterms. The Democratic Party is determined to not let that happen again. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) (help elect state Reps/Sens), The National Democratic Redistricting Trust (legal team to fight redistricting) and Foundation for the Future (a 527 funded primarily by unions to provide data to the Democratic Party on how to draw maps to favor Democrats). However, they will need our help to GOTV and raise money for the 2010 midterms.

This morning, Alex Burns’ Morning Score gave us a nice little plug:

COMING SOON – THE DLCC’S MAP: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, charged with waging state House and Senate campaigns this fall ahead of the next round of redistricting, is preparing to release a memo to Democratic stakeholders outlining the most urgent targets for the party this fall. “Of the legislatures with the power to draw congressional maps, 23 chambers in 17 states are within five seats of changing hands. These 17 states will draw 198 Congressional Districts,” DLCC executive director Michael Sargeant writes. “The bottom line: The results of the 2010 state legislative elections will define how key reforms and policies are decided for the next decade.” The DLCC’s top defensive targets: the Alabama Senate, Colorado Senate, Indiana House, Nevada Senate, New Hampshire Senate, New York Senate, Ohio House, Pennsylvania House and both chambers in Wisconsin. And its picks for offense: the Michigan Senate, Kentucky Senate, Tennessee House and Texas House.

Tune into this space next Monday for the memo to which he refers.

With questions beginning to fly concerning specific states, the DLCC is pleased to present, via RedistrictingFacts.com, a state-by-state breakdown of how redistricting actually works in each.

For example, did you know that an Independent Redistricting Commission administers the redistricting of both state legislative and congressional districts in Arizona? Check out the website to learn how the Commission members are appointed!

Were you aware that Governors have no veto authority over the maps drawn by the state legislatures in Connecticut and North Carolina?

Have you heard about the various states in which state Supreme Courts have some authority over the redistricting process?

Learn about all these things and more at http://redistrictingfacts.com/redistricting-by-state/!

Iowa isn’t the only place where Democrats are holding strong on equality. Over in New Hampshire, whose legislature established civil marriage equality beginning on New Year’s Day, 2010, the Democratically-controlled State House voted down two bills aimed at repealing the new law:

The House voted by a wide margin, 201-135, against a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as between one man and one woman. It later defeated a proposed repeal of the state's new marriage, 210-109.

New Hampshire's gay marriage laws passed last year and took effect Jan. 1, two years after civil unions became legal. The laws allow same-sex couples in civil unions to convert their relationship to marriage this year, or wait until the conversion becomes automatic on Jan. 1, 2011.

Sadly, the debate over these bills was marred by several Republican legislators who called the existing same-sex marriages in New Hampshire “a cruel joke,” a violation of “natural law,” or who argued that “homosexuals can change their sexual preference at any time.”

But since equality was the real victor today, we’ll let Democratic State Rep. Robert Thompson have the last word:

"We already have loving, committed same-sex marriage couples in New Hampshire. There has been no detrimental impact to anyone," he said.

Thompson, who married his gay partner on Jan. 2, asked the House, "How has my marriage impacted upon your marriage, or how has it diminished the value of your marriage?"

As DLCC Chairman Mike Gronstal says, it hasn’t – quite the opposite, in fact.

Just days after Proposition 1 overturned marriage equality in Maine, Republicans have filed legislation to repeal New Hampshire’s same-sex marriage law, which narrowly passed this year. But despite the disappointing vote in neighboring Maine, New Hampshire’s Democratic legislators are pledging to protect equal rights in their state:

Two proposals are being drafted in the N.H. House: One would repeal the law Gov. John Lynch signed in June and re-establish civil unions; the other is a constitutional amendment that would charge voters with deciding if "the state shall only recognize the union of one man and one woman as marriage."

Supporters of same-sex marriage are strategizing and gearing up for a fight, said Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, who sponsored the gay marriage law. He said momentum doesn't rest with gay-marriage foes.

"The momentum is on our side and those of us who support equality and love over hate," he said Wednesday.

Even so, "we have a fight cut out for us in January" when the Legislature reconvenes, he said. "But I think virtually everyone in the House and Senate who voted for marriage equality will stick with us and I'm hoping we'll pick up some others."

To be sure, the repeal effort faces long odds. State constitutional amendments in New Hampshire require a 2/3 vote in the legislature and a 2/3 vote in a state-wide referendum – neither of which are likely at this point. In addition, Governor Lynch has helpfully promised to veto any bill overturning marriage equality, so marriage opponents will need a 2/3 vote even if they decide to use normal legislative channels.

But that’s not stopping New Hampshire Republicans from pushing the issue to score political points, and if they succeed in making legislative gains in 2010, it could have a chilling affect on the equal rights agenda at all levels. That’s why Rep. Splaine, while sounding confident, explained that maintaining the Democratic advantage in the state legislature will be the key to protecting marriage equality:

I'm confident we will hold onto our supporters in the House and Senate, and that Governor John Lynch will remain steadfast in his strong support for equality. But it would be good to "max out" on our support in the Legislature in a few months.

Whatever the final result in Maine, and no matter how close, WE CAN DO THIS. We can have marriage equality, and hold it here. But it will take continued work. We have to remain optimistic, and continue looking forward.

In 2008, the New Hampshire Senate became the first legislative body in America -– and only the second in the world after Rwanda’s Chamber of Deputies -– to elect women to a majority of its seats.

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the achievement. But this important milestone may be part of a broader trend in America’s state legislatures -– as more Democrats are elected as legislators, more women are elected as well.

According to a National Conference of State Legislatures report on the demographics of state legislatures, 23 states (almost half the country) elected women to at least 25% of their legislative seats. An overwhelming 17 of those states have Democratic majorities in both chambers, and two more are under split control.

The difference is even clearer when the threshold is increased to 30 percent. In the 11 states where women hold at least 30 percent of the legislative seats, Democrats control both legislative chambers in 10 of them.

We’d encourage everyone to check out the report to see where your state ranks. And in case you’re wondering, a full eleven of the 13 women in the New Hampshire Senate are Democrats.

Next year, for the first time, redistricting in New Hampshire will occur under the requirement of a 2006 ballot initiative, which mandated that any town large enough to justify its own district will get its own district.

With only two congressional districts, this kind of requirement would have little effect on congressional redistricting, but it will mean big changes for the New Hampshire State House and its 400 Representatives:

In Greater Nashua, this is good news for towns such as New Ipswich – 5,211 according to the 2008 population estimate – and Wilton – 4,031 – which don’t have their own lawmaker but are big enough that they’ll get to elect one.

Mega-districts will also get busted up, so candidates from Litchfield and Pelham will elect their own.

Currently, candidates from those smaller towns have to scramble and run in a much larger district with Hudson, which elects 13.

In theory, this new requirement will help make New Hampshire’s legislature more geographically reflective of its electorate – and with a 400-member State House representing one of the smallest states in the country, New Hampshire certainly has the flexibility to succeed in that goal.

In New Hampshire, a state known for embracing moderate politicians, Republican advocacy groups are uniting behind a bold plan to regain power in 2010: get rid of all the moderates.

No one said it was good plan…

"A lot of Republicans get a bad rap because we're not inclusive," said Rep. Fran Wendelboe, R-New Hampton. "I think it's because we don't want to be devoured and become moderate."

For her, the core of Republicanism is the various conservative groups in the state, most of which she said are about "80 percent aligned with the Republican Party platform. I believe the moderates are the fringe."

Of course, it’s no surprise that today’s Republican Party views moderates as something to fear – as “fringe” elements that will “devour” the true believers if they’re allowed to have their say. That attitude is a big reason why New Hampshire Republicans took a shellacking at the polls in 2006 and 2008, and it’s a big reason why one of the party’s prominent elder statesmen switched parties recently to become a Democrat.

The fact is, the Democratic Party in New Hampshire and across the country welcomes individuals with differing views. The Republican Party does not. As a party, we’ve accepted that honest and open debate is a good thing, even if that debate is sometimes contentious and doesn’t always leave everyone happy with the outcome.

To the Republicans, anyone who isn’t completely on board with the party line is a traitor, a RINO, or worse. And the longer they hold that view, the more extreme and out of touch their party becomes.

After what jubilant supporters can now happily regard as a false start, the state of New Hampshire has legalized gay marriage. From the Dartmouth College student newspaper:

Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., signed the state's same-sex marriage bill into law Wednesday evening, after the state Legislature approved a compromise amendment to the bill earlier in the day. The amendment stipulates that religious groups and organizations will not be required to support or provide services for same-sex marriages.

When the legislation goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2010, New Hampshire will be the sixth state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage.

The new language passed by an unexpectedly wide margin of 198-176, making New Hampshire the 6th state to establish marriage equality but only the 3rd to do so at the initiative of the legislature.

The state’s Democratic legislative leaders pushed very hard for this legislation, and Governor Lynch took a great political risk in signing it. But whatever the risks, New Hampshire Democrats can take pride in what was accomplished today – as should every New Hampshire resident.

One of the New Hampshire Republican Party’s most respected elder statesmen has announced he is becoming a Democrat. Jim MacKay, who spent nearly a decade as a Republican city councilor, mayor, and state representative for the city of Concord, explained his decision in a statement announcing his candidacy for an upcoming State House special election:

"Over the past several years, the New Hampshire Republican Party has continually moved farther to the right, and no longer represents my core beliefs. As someone who served as a Republican legislator, I am disappointed by the marginalization of moderate voices in the party. That is why today I am formally leaving the New Hampshire Republican Party to seek the Democratic nomination for state representative in the upcoming special election in Concord," said Jim MacKay. "I spent my career fighting for working families and to protect the state's most vulnerable citizens and I will continue to do so if I'm elected in the special election." (H/T Blue Hampshire)

New Hampshire Democrats, who have long held MacKay in high regard for his pragmatism and bipartisanship as a State Legislator, were excited by the news, with state party Chair Ray Buckley praising MacKay for his principled decision:

"We welcome Jim Mackay to the New Hampshire Democratic Party with open arms. He has a record of fighting for the best interests of working families and will be a strong voice in the legislature. Jim's willingness to set politics aside for the betterment of our state is honorable.

"His departure is just another example of how out of touch John Sununu and the Republican Party are with the people of New Hampshire. The GOP's desire to put the politics of divisiveness before the people of our state is why they continue to lose the support of voters and leaders in their own party."

MacKay makes his Democratic political debut in the special election to replace State Rep. Tara Reardon, who resigned to become New Hampshire’s Commissioner of Employment Security. An election schedule has not yet been set.

On April 29, the New Hampshire legislature voted to approve legislation legalizing gay marriage.

Today, NH Gov. John Lynch announced that he will sign the bill into law if the measure were amended to create more protections for religious groups:

Legislative leaders said they would allow the changes, all but ensuring that New Hampshire will become the sixth state where marriage between gay men or lesbians is legal.

In recent weeks, Vermont and Maine have passed similar laws legalizing same-sex marriage, and the laws in both states will take effect later this year. The New Hampshire measure would allow gay couples to begin holding weddings in January.

New Hampshire has become the next state to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage.

Earlier today, the state Senate passed a bill recognizing marriage between same-sex couples by a vote of 13-11. The legislation has already cleared the state House of Representatives, but the lower chamber must still approve several amendments made by senators.

The New York Times reports:

To some extent, the support for same-sex marriage reflects a sea change in New Hampshire politics since 2006, when Democrats gained control of the legislature for the first time in over a century. But while staunchly conservative on fiscal matters, New Hampshire has been less so about social issues, partly because its citizens’ famous libertarian streak resists government intrusion in personal matters.

Indeed, New Hampshire has been making consistent progress on this front since Democrats won those state legislature majorities. The state first recognized civil unions in 2007.

Opponents are already gearing up to pressure the governor to veto the measure.