The following ballot questions will appear on ballots statewide in the NH General Election on November 3.
The Leadership Team of the Oyster River Democrats is providing this guidance on the questions. However, we encourage voters to review the full ballot language and decide for themselves.
 VOTE NO QUESTION 2
QUESTION 2: A statewide question forced onto the ballot by HB 1300 after voters kept rejecting school budget caps.
BALLOT QUESTION (RSA 32:5-I): “Shall the Town of [Durham / Lee / Madbury] limit property tax growth for the Oyster River Cooperative School District under RSA 32:5-i? If adopted for a two-year period: (1) the local property tax levy may not grow beyond the prior year’s amount, adjusted for inflation and new construction; (2) SAU central office spending may not exceed 6 percent of total school district appropriations; and (3) bonded capital costs are excluded from both limits. These caps apply only to administrative operations of the SAU central office and do not affect classroom instruction, school-based services, or other municipal expenditures. These limits may be overridden as provided in RSA 32:5-i. Adoption”
Protect Oyster River Schools and the Value of Your Home
New Hampshire property taxes are among the highest in the country, and many of us feel we’re paying more every year without seeing a difference. That frustration is real. But Question 2 won’t fix it.
On November 3, voters in Durham, Lee, and Madbury, and in towns across the state, will see Question 2 on their ballots. The Legislature placed it there through HB 1300, with no local petition and no local vote.
We urge a “NO” vote.
Why vote NO?
Oyster River voters have already said no.
In March, local voters rejected a similar limit on school spending, 1,698 NO to 1,246 YES. Question 2 puts it back on our ballot anyway.
Your property taxes will still go up.
Question 2 covers only the school portion of your tax bill. Town and county taxes aren’t affected. It also does nothing about the real reason our taxes are so high: New Hampshire relies on local property taxes to fund schools more than any other state.
Students would pay the price.
Many school costs rise faster than inflation, including health insurance, special education, transportation, and utilities. When that happens, the district has to cut from what’s left: sports, bus routes, art and music, AP classes, clubs, classroom supplies, and teaching positions.
Strong schools protect your home’s value.
Even if you don’t have children in school, the quality of our schools is one of the biggest factors in what your home is worth. Weakening Oyster River schools puts the value of every home in our three towns at risk.
No one can tell you what Question 2 will really do.
It bundles several limits into one yes-or-no vote, and its effects on our schools, our taxes, and our towns are uncertain. When in doubt, vote NO.
It sends the wrong message to Concord.
If Question 2 passes, the Legislature will take it as permission to shift even more of the cost of education onto local property taxpayers.
Don’t skip it!
Question 2 needs 60% of YES and NO votes to pass. Blank ballots aren’t counted. Every NO vote counts toward keeping it below that threshold.
Oyster River voters have already spoken. Let’s keep the right to decide for ourselves how to invest in our schools. Vote NO on Question 2.
VOTE YES ON Question 1:
THE REGISTER OF PROBATE QUESTION
QUESTION 1: Constitutional Amendment: Register of Probate. This is a housekeeping update to a court system that changed over a decade ago.
BALLOT QUESTION: “Shall the New Hampshire Constitution be amended to eliminate the office of Register of Probate and references to that office?”
VOTE YES FOR THESE REASONS
1. In 2011, NH moved virtually all probate duties — wills, estates — to the courts. The elected Register of Probate now has essentially no substantive duties.
2. This amendment removes only that obsolete office and its outdated references from the Constitution. It does not change how wills and estates are handled.
3. Strong bipartisan support: passed the House 325–15 and the Senate 23–1.
4. The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire supports a YES vote.
Note: This ballot question needs a two-thirds (66.7%) supermajority to pass. A nearly identical amendment appeared on the 2022 ballot and won 62.9% of the vote, a clear majority, but fell short of the two-thirds (66.7%) supermajority the constitution requires to amend itself. It’s back on the ballot this year for another chance to reach the two-thirds.
NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THESE BALLOT MEASURES
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