Melanie Levesque

Running for New Hampshire Senate to represent District 12

New Hampshire Election Day is November 6, 2018. Unsure how or where to vote in New Hampshire for the midterms? Scroll to the bottom of this page for voter information about NH 12th district and Melanie Levesque’s run for office.

 

Melanie Levesque background

Melanie Levesque was raised in Nashua, New Hampshire, after her parents moved from Boston. She attended New Hampshire Vocational-Technical College and received her B.S. from Daniel Webster College. She then earned her Master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

Levesque was elected to serve in New Hampshire House from 2006 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2014. She represented Hollis, Mason and Brookline communities.

Levesque’s work in the community

Levesque’s resume is long. She is currently incredibly involved with community boards and organizations, including:

• Hollis Brookline Coop School Board – Member
• Endowment for Health Advisory Commission – Member
• Town of Brookline – Trustee
• Brookline Community Church – Trustee

Beyond community work, Melanie Levesque is president of TCS of America Enterprises, a telecommunications company based in Brookline. In the past, she has been a trustee for Community College System of New Hampshire and Nashua Boys and Girls Club, to name a few. 

On her approach to politics, Levesque points to her ability to reach across the aisle, particularly in right-leaning Brookline and surrounding towns. For example, she says, “We have somewhat conservative towns, so being able to talk with different people and to work together is something that I’ve done all my life.” Despite the divided nature of the country as a whole, Levesque believes that all sides can come together. Saying in an op-ed piece for the Nashua Telegraph, “These are uncommon times however, I believe that people with common values and goals regardless of political affiliation can work together to solve these problems.

While always having an interest in public service, Levesque says her decision to run for office came when she gave birth to her daughter: “When my daughter was born, that’s when I really felt like I had to be more involved in making policy and helping to shape the world around her.”

Melanie Levesque platform

Education

Melanie Levesque was strongly opposed to SB 193, a bill that would have diverted state education funds to parents of children in private school. Also called the “school voucher bill,” the measure failed in the New Hampshire House at 170-159, despite strong support from Republican governor Chris Sununu. 

While the school choice bill was on the House floor, Levesque spoke out against it while running for New Hampshire Senate, describing the bill as “detrimental to our public schools.” That being said, Levesque believes parents should education their children as they see fit, provided that public schools don’t suffer for it: “I think if you want to put your child through private school or religious school, then you should do that. If you want to homeschool, then you should do that. But it should not draw away from those limited funds that we have for public school.”

While serving in the House, Levesque voted for measures that added kindergarten to the definition of an adequate education, as well as raised the dropout age to 18. To best sum up Levesque’s position on education, she says “The quality of our children’s education shouldn’t depend on their ZIP codes.”  

Economy & jobs

Melanie Levesque supports investing in New Hampshire infrastructure to “expand job opportunities in the Granite State,” and believes that “having a robust infrastructure is critical to our communities and to our businesses.”

Levesque also points to rising home prices in New Hampshire as deterrents for keeping young residents in the state. She supports building more affordable housing for young people who have just entered the workforce as well as seniors over 55 who can’t typically afford today’s housing prices. She says “The waiting list for a senior housing unit is a year. We need to have more of the senior housing. In Brookline, that’s something we don’t have and when you’re a senior, you either move out or pay very high taxes.”

In 2014, House Democrats introduced a bill to increase the minimum wage in New Hampshire. Specifically, that minimum wage would be raised from $7.25 to $8.25 in 2015 and eventually to $9.00 in 2016. Levesque voted in favor of the bill while a state representative, but it ultimately failed to pass in the NH Senate.  

Healthcare & Medicaid

While a New Hampshire state representative, Melanie Levesque voted in favor of expanding Medicaid eligibility for those who qualify for the program and make no more than 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. The bill passed and was signed into law by then-Gov Maggie Hassan in 2014.

Moreover, Levesque is strongly in favor of supporting struggling New Hampshire families through Medicaid expansion. She says, “The Medicaid expansion piece is so critical for families who are not making enough income to pay for healthcare. Many of those are working multiple jobs and they don’t have healthcare.”

Women’s rights

Melanie Levesque is a proponent of women’s rights in New Hampshire, particularly as they related to equal pay in the workplace. While in the State House, she voted for legislation that protects employees from being punished for sharing their paycheck information or filing a complaint against the company for paycheck equality.

Put another way, giving the women the ability to know what their consenting coworkers are making per year will make it clear if they have a potential case for employee discrimination. Levesque says she’s proud of equal pay legislation she supported that called for “women to be paid the same amount as men. And I still think we have a lot of work to do.”

Furthermore, Melanie Levesque supported a 2014 bill that established a 25-foot buffer around abortion clinics from pro-life protesters to better protect patients as they try to enter the building. She also voted for SB 390, which prohibits employer discrimination for victims of domestic violence. Despite strong opposition from Republicans, both bills became law in New Hampshire.

Opioid Crisis

Calling the opioid crisis New Hampshire’s “most urgent issue,” Levesque supports expanding local programs and efforts to curb opioid use and educate those on the dangers of opioids. She also favors strengthening state efforts to improve treatment options and provide more resources for substance abuse prevention.

 

LGBTQ rights

A measure to legalize gay marriage in New Hampshire made its way to the House of Representatives in 2009. Melanie Levesque voted in favor of the legislation, and it passed both house later that year. Same-sex marriage became legal in the state after then-Gov. John Lynch signed the bill into law.

Furthermore, Levesque says protecting the civil rights of New Hampshirites is critical in her platform. Going on to say, “If you don’t have your civil rights, you don’t have anything,” Levesque points to discrimination faced by the LGBTQ community. “It used to appall me that people would treat gay and lesbian citizens poorly and not allow them to have the same rights,” she said.

Environment

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a program adopted by 10 New England states, including New Hampshire, to cap CO2 emissions from the power sector. At its core, RGGI is “the first mandatory, market-based CO2 emissions reduction program in the United States” meant to address skyrocketing greenhouse gas emissions.

While in office, Levesque worked on elements of RGGI in the NH House. She says it “was the goal of our governor, then-Gov. Lynch to have 25 percent renewables by 2025, and we’re falling short of that. We need to get back on track.”

Melanie Levesque’s endorsements for New Hampshire state senate (ongoing list)

• Emily’s List
• Future Now
• President Barack Obama
• Planned Parenthood
• AFT
• NEA
  SEIU
• Professional Firefighters
• Moms Demand Action
• Sierra Club

• AFL-CIO

• Teamsters

• End Citizens United

 

New Hampshire voter information

New Hampshire 2016 election results

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton narrowly won the state of New Hampshire by 0.3 points. In 2012, Barack Obama carried New Hampshire by more than 5 points.

New Hampshire voter registration

It can be a little challenging to figure out when your city clerk’s voter registration deadline is. In an attempt to make this easier, I’ve included official city links to registration deadlines and how to register to vote in your town. Please scroll down to find voting precincts and locations nearest you.

Generally speaking, New Hampshire’s voter registration deadline is October 27, 2018

• Hollis voter registration
• Brookline voter registration
• Greenville voter registration
• New Ipswich voter registration
• Rindge voter registration

Not sure if you’re a New Hampshire registered voter? You can check and update your information with this voter tool from the secretary of state’s office. 

 

Where do I vote in New Hampshire district 12?

If you don’t have the slightest idea on where to vote, or even what NH district you’re in, please check out this extremely helpful voting location tool from the state of New Hampshire.

• • Nashua voting locations are based on voting ward
  • Hollis voting location is at Hollis Brookline High School, 24 Cavalier Court, 7am-7pm
  • Brookline voting location is at Captain Samuel Douglass Academy (CSDA), 24 Townsend Hill Road, Brookline, NH, 7am to 7:30pm
  • Greenville voting location is at Greenville Elementary School at 16 Adams St, Greenville, NH, 8am to 7pm
  • New Ipswich voting location is at Mascenic Regional High School, 175 Turnpike Rd, New Ipswich, NH, 7am to 7pm
  • Rindge voter voting location is at Rindge Memorial School, 58 School St., Rindge, NH, 7am to 7pm

 

What do I need to bring to vote in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire recently passed a new ID voter law. On the very bottom of this page is a screenshot of the new rules. In short, a driver’s license is sufficient for voting in New Hampshire. If you don’t have a license you can complete an affidavit and a photo will be taken. Take a look at the entire page at the end of this post to see your options or click on this link to be taken to the NH secretary of state’s website.

More ways to support Melanie Levesque

Donate directly to Melanie Levesque’s 2018 campaign

Follow her on Twitter @Melanie4Senate

Examples of hashtags to use when talking about Melanie Levesque

#Melanie4NHSenate

#CommonValuesCommonGoals

#peoplefirst

#nhpolitics

#BlueWave

Shari Rose is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. Follow her on Twitter @blurredbylines or like Blurred Bylines on Facebook. Women Running For Office Project posts ≠ endorsements.

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