New Hampshire House of Representatives : Ask Biography

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The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300 residents. If the same level of representation were present in the U.S. Congress, that body would have approximately 99,000 members, according to current population estimates. Members are paid a salary of $200 per biennium, as are New Hampshire State Senators.

Districts vary in number of seats based on their populations, with the least-populous districts having only one member and the most having 13. In multi-member districts, voters are allowed to cast as many votes as there are seats to be filled, which often results in one party winning all of the seats in the district.

Unlike in many state legislatures, there is no single "aisle" to cross per se, as members of both parties sit partially segregated in five sections. The seat section and number is put on the legislator's motor vehicle license plate, which they pay for if they wish to put one on their personal automobiles, or in the case of the chairpersons and party leaders, their title is put on the legislative plate. Seating location is enforced, as seating is pre-assigned, although the personal preference of the legislator is asked, usually the Chairs and those with special needs are given the more preferred aisle seats. The sixth section is the Speaker's seat at the head of the hall.