Today, Hanover will vote on the the articles of the town warrant at the annual town meeting. Voting will take place at Hanover High School in two phases: first, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., by secret ballot for articles 1 through 7; then, at 7 p.m., with public debate and placard voting for articles 8 through 23. Shuttles sponsored by the Dartmouth Student Government will run every hour on the hour from Baker-Berry Library to Hanover High School starting at 7 a.m.
Voters can register today by presenting proof of Hanover residence, proof of citizenship — such as a U.S. passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers — and proof of identity. Already-registered voters in New Hampshire are required to show proof of identity at their polling location to receive a ballot and vote.
School-issued IDs are still valid proof of residence and identity for registration and obtaining a ballot. A state law that passed last month, which would mandate that voters present a government-issued ID to obtain a ballot, goes into effect on June 2.
More detailed information about the town warrant can be found here. Follow this page for updates throughout the day.
12:30 p.m.: Article 7 draws divide between former town manager and petitioner, contested by protestors
Max Hubbard / The Dartmouth Staff
Article 7 of the town warrant is being highly debated. If passed, it would undo last year’s zoning amendment that permitted construction of multi-family units in parts of Hanover that were previously zoned for exclusively single-family homes, restoring single-family only residential zones.
Alongside the voting polls, several protestors held up signs that read “No on Article 7,” including Dartmouth students — who did not wish to be identified but were with Palestine Solidarity Coalition — handing out flyers supporting their position. Randy Mudge, the local architect who proposed Article 7, was also present with signs supporting his petitioned amendment.
Julia Griffin, who served as Hanover’s Town Manager for 22 years and now works for the local affordable housing board Twin Pines Housing Trust Board, told The Dartmouth at the polls that she voted against Article 7 because she believes Hanover “desperately needs more housing.”
“I’m a big proponent of supporting the decisions the Planning Board makes,” she said, referring to the Hanover Planning Board’s 5-1 vote to disapprove of Article 7 during a public meeting in March.
Griffin said the town has not given last year’s zoning amendment “enough time to percolate in this community,” adding that it would be “wrong to ax it” after one year.
“Anything that we can do to increase the opportunity to build housing that’s more affordable for those who have fixed incomes, or for folks who can’t afford to live in the community where they work, is really important,” she said during the interview.
In an interview with The Dartmouth at the polls today, Mudge said the construction of more triplexes and fourplexes would not “match the existing residential scale” and would not drive housing prices down. He added that he is not opposed to the construction of duplexes in “small pockets” of single-family residential areas.
“Article 7 just says, ‘Let’s encourage duplexes, let’s not have multi-family housing here,’” Mudge said. “They [proponents of 2025 reforms] said it was modest; it was not a modest move. They said it would be affordable. There’s no way it’s going to be affordable.”
Mudge pointed to the high cost of new housing developments in Hanover, such as recent construction on Centerra Drive, arguing that any new units could still sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Affordability is the most difficult thing to fulfill because the values have gotten so high because of supply and demand,” Mudge said. “Around here, they jack the values so high everywhere.”
Griffin said she “loves the opportunity for Dartmouth students to get engaged” and appreciated students coming to the polls and advocating against Article 7.
Mudge added that students should “look at both sides of the story” before voting on the article.
7:00 a.m.: Polls open at Hanover High School gymnasium
Max Hubbard / The Dartmouth Staff
Ballot voting for town warrant articles 1 through 7 opened at 7 a.m. in the Hanover High School gymnasium at 41 Lebanon St.
Article 1 covers Hanover town official elections, including the reelection bids of trust fund trustee Kari Asmus, Selectboard chair Carey Callaghan ’83, Selectboard member Jennie Chamberlain, town moderator Jeremy Eggleton, supervisor of the checklist Alison Gorman, cemetery trustee Petra Sergent and Etna Library trustee Elizabeth Storrs. All elections in Article 1 are uncontested.
The remainder of the ballot articles amend Hanover’s zoning ordinance. Articles 2 through 6 would make it easier to build denser housing in accordance with a state law passed last July. Article 7, submitted by local architect Randy Mudge, aims to undo last year’s zoning amendment that permitted construction of multi-family units in parts of Hanover.
Results from ballot articles will be announced at the business portion of the annual town meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Hanover High School gymnasium.
Max Hubbard '29 is a reporter from Boston, Mass., and is majoring in government and minoring in French. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, running and watching movies.
Olivia Sapper ’29 is a reporter from Darien, Conn., and is majoring in Government.
