By Max Scheinblum-Granite State News Collaborative

With much of New Hampshire’s political attention on elections for state and local offices,, it’s easy to forget about the county officials sandwiched between them. There are a host of elected offices in each of New Hampshire’s 10 counties.

“County government, I would say, serves needs that are greater than the resources of individual municipalities to serve.” said Wendy Piper, the president of the New Hampshire Association of Counties and first-term Grafton County commissioner.

Piper explained commissioners’ key responsibilities include running the county nursing home and the county jail. These facilities are among the most expensive to run in the state, she said, and commissioners approve budgets and oversee operations. Piper noted how the county looks out for two of New Hampshire’s most vulnerable populations: the incarcerated and Medicaid-eligible people in need of long term care.

County commissioners are also in charge of approving various other bureaucratic processes, like an employee handbook, and also oversee the land, building and personnel of the county government building. A majority vote is necessary to pass anything, and most officials hold weekly or bi-weekly meetings to deliberate and decide, according to Piper. 

Unlike almost all other elected offices in the state, a county commissioner serves a four-year term instead of the typical two. But only one of the commissioners serves four years at a time, and the district which holds the four-year seat rotates every statewide election year. This  county-by-county guide outlines which commissioner is elected when and for how long, helping avoid any calendar confusion.

Commissioners also facilitate funding and operations for other elected county officials. Those positions are each two-year terms and include county sheriff, county attorney, county treasurer, register of probate and register of deeds.

The Know Your Vote, youth voter guide  project was designed, reported and produced by student and young professional journalists from The Clock,The Concord Monitor, The Equinox, Granite State News Collaborative, Keene State College, The Laconia Daily Sun, The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Nashua Ink Link and The Presidency and the Press program at Franklin Pierce University. See the full guide at  www.collaborativenh.org/know-your-vote.