In late July, State Representative Brian Valerino (R-Berlin) resigned his seat in the New Hampshire House because he was appointed the Warden of the New Hampshire State Prison (located in Berlin). This was a pretty logical appointment; Valerino had been the well-regarded Sheriff of Coos County (an elected position) when he made the decision in 2024 to not seek reelection, and instead run for the New Hampshire State House in Coos District 5.
As is typical, Berlin’s mayor and city council unanimously requested to the governor and Executive Council approval for a specific date to hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by Valerino — Nov. 4. This is also a pretty logical decision — it would be the same day as the city’s municipal election, meaning there’d be no need to prepare a separate election for state representative (which carries financial and logistical costs to the city). It is also likely that more people will vote in this special election than if it was held on a “random” day in December or something.
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