Published: 12/5/2021 7:00:52 AM
Modified: 12/5/2021 7:00:21 AM
Though COVID-19 continues to devastate New Hampshire, it has also made us reevaluate and re-imagine how we participate in community and government. Democracy is about hearing the voice of the people and in 2021, unlike ever before, our political system heard more Granite State voices thanks to remote access to public meetings and sessions. The option to attend and testify remotely helped to keep our lawmakers and the public at-large healthy and safe, expanded the pool of perspectives and experiences represented at committee hearings, and more fully informed our legislative process.
Virtual access to the legislature helped to keep our democracy healthy by including voices that have historically been excluded from in-person public meetings due to barriers such as health, transportation, childcare, work time-off and more. Especially as COVID-19 cases and deaths surge in New Hampshire, we must embrace remote access to keep our population healthy, not look to take that away. For the health and wellness of our democracy and all granite staters, I ask New Hampshire’s House and Senate leadership to adopt a system of virtual access, including remote testimony for the 2022 legislative session.
Caitlin Cawley
Manchester