David DePuy

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Do you support the “Education Freedom Account” program, which gives students access to the per-pupil share of state school funding to spend on private school or home school expenses?

"Please see my op-ed in the Union Leader of February 18, 2025. Proponents of this program continue to make the false argument that paying $5,000 for a student in the EFA program saves taxpayers money because the average cost of a public school education is $22,000 so that towns save money for every kid who receives $5,000 for the EFA program. This argument is false for two reasons: First, 80% of the kids entered in the EFA program were never in the public schools to begin with, so the towns are saving nothing and the $5,000 is just an added expense. Second, the towns save nothing for the remaining 2,000 kids who do leave public schools because there are 454 public schools. On average that is about five kids who leave a public school. Even if the number were 25 students per school, having two kids fewer per class in the 13 grades saves towns nothing because most costs are fixed, like bonds, heating and cooling, teachers' salaries, bus transportation, etc. The best private schools cost $45,000 to $60,000 per year or more. Proponents of the EFA program are the same ones who argue more money does not make for a better education. There are many wealthy parents sending their kids to private schools who believe otherwise. The state constitution provides that 'no person shall ever be compelled to pay toward the support of the schools of any sect or denomination' (N.H. Constitution, Article 6). Proponents argue that the EFA payments are not paid to religious schools but rather to parents who then pay the money to religious schools and that such a scheme has been condoned in court cases. I am not a fan of schemes devised by the Legislature that devise a way to skirt the Constitution of New Hampshire. Frank Edelblut, our recently replaced commissioner of education, and his wife have seven children. All were homeschooled. If the EFA program had been available to them at the time when their kids were in school, that would be $5,000 per child, per year, for 13 years (K-12), or $65,000 per child. For seven kids, that would total $455,000. Almost half a million dollars to the Edelbluts, who I suspect are very well off."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination law allow segregation based on biological sex in some settings, such as bathrooms and locker rooms?

"This is a very complicated, and for many, misunderstood issue. Please see my op-ed in the Union Leader of November 29/30, 2025, regarding the bathroom debate. I believe designing bathrooms and locker rooms to protect privacy is a better solution than enacting another criminal statute. As a practical matter, would we all be required to carry our birth certificate to prove we are a man or a woman? Would we have bathroom police checking our I.D.? We could. There was still a bathroom attendant in the men's facility at the Deerfield Fair last time I visited it. He could request proof of being a male, I guess. I think that the U.S. Supreme Court has settled this issue when it comes to sports and probably locker rooms. Nevertheless, locker rooms and public restrooms should be designed so that everyone using those facilities can do so with their privacy protected by having unisex facilities or private closets/enclosures and eliminate the 'airport stalls' type of enclosure. Regarding the issue of transgender children, I would like to add one comment. This issue does concern children, and mainly children going through adolescence. I have read articles by hidebound old men talking about people ought to be the way God made them. It's not always that clear-cut, as I will address below, but first I would urge adults debating this issue to be sensitive to the children who are the subject being debated. Going through adolescence is difficult enough for 11, 12, and 13-year-olds. The risk of death by suicide is already too high for adolescents. Add on issues about gender identity, and the risk is even greater. Let's eliminate the misunderstanding some have. When a child is born, a doctor fills out a birth certificate. The choices are a box marked 'M' for male or 'F' for female. Unfortunately, some children are born with ambiguous genitalia. Some may have both male and female genitals, for example. In some cases, further studies are done over weeks before the doctor makes a decision. In any event, at the time a child enters adolescence, the child may feel that they have a different sexual identity that may require surgery and hormone therapy. These physical anomalies that cause sexual identity issues may be easier for many to understand. But for other children, the issue may exist even without those physical signs, which is more difficult for many to understand, but just as real. This issue has existed for millennia. It now is being raised by some adults. In debating about it, I urge all to remember the subjects of your debate are just kids."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the first trimester (e.g. after 6 weeks gestation)?

"I believe decisions about a woman's health, including the issue of abortion should be decided between a woman and her doctor."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the second trimester (e.g. after 15 weeks gestation)?

"I believe decisions about a woman's health, including the issue of abortion should be decided between a woman and her doctor."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should NH add an income tax on earned income?

"I oppose a broad-based income tax. But we need to grant relief for our property taxpayers by restoring state appropriations to the towns and reversing tax cuts to big corporations and the very wealthy. Something happens to some people when they get elected to the Legislature. They forget where they come from. Their focus is on cutting taxes at the state level, reducing appropriations to the municipalities, and shifting obligations from the state to the cities and towns. The result is skyrocketing property tax bills. We need to reverse that curse, provide more state funding of towns and place obligations that were pushed onto municipalities back on the state. We need property tax reform as well."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire lower business taxes?

"Business taxes should be restored to the levels that existed prior to the Great Recession. The Business Profits Tax (BPT) has been reduced from 8.5% to 7.5%. The Business Enterprise Tax has been reduced from 0.75% to 0.55%. The Meals and Rooms (M&R) Tax has been reduced from 9.0% to 8.5%. The lost tax revenues from those reductions and the loss of the I&D revenue total approximately $421 million. That is revenue that could have been passed on to the towns. The Legislature had a choice - lower property taxes by appropriating those revenues to the towns and cities or lower taxes on businesses and the ultra-wealthy, thereby raising your property taxes. It chose the latter. Towns have only two sources of revenue - appropriations by the Legislature and property taxes. Reduce state appropriations and property taxes go up - and that is what the Legislature has been doing for 20 years. We need to Reverse the Concord Curse and elect legislators who do not forget where they came from, and make funding of our towns and schools a priority."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should the state do more to encourage municipalities to remove zoning barriers to housing development?

"We need to do what we can to create affordable housing for everyone, especially young couples. Tariffs do not help. Closing the Strait of Hormuz does not help. Bombing Venezuela does not help. Spending over $100 billion on the war in Iran does not help. We need the towns, individually, to address the problem by enacting zoning that favors affordable housing. We do not need uniform state zoning of our cities and towns. We do need to retain the rural nature of New Hampshire and our environment."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire do more to encourage the development of nuclear power, including small modular reactors (SMR), in the state?

"I oppose expanding nuclear energy development. Atomic energy pollution is the greatest poison devised by humans. When it is released accidentally from nuclear power plants, it forever renders the area around the plant uninhabitable. The devastating nuclear power plant accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima are prime examples of the devastation caused by nuclear power plants gone wrong. Over 100 square miles around the Fukushima plant have been rendered uninhabitable by the nuclear meltdown. In Ukraine, an area of 1,000 square miles has been rendered uninhabitable by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, and there is no safe, foolproof way to dispose of nuclear waste. Finally, nuclear power is expensive. The construction of the Seabrook nuclear power plant bankrupted Public Service Company. And there is still the staggering cost of decommissioning the plant."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Do you support legislation to expand the net energy metering system capacity cap from 1 MW to 5 MW for all residential and commercial customers in New Hampshire?

"We need to expand clean energy sources and reduce our dependence on oil and gas for multiple reasons: 1. To reduce pollution. 2. To slow global warming. 3. To change to renewable energy. 4. To develop cheaper sources of heat, cooling and electricity. Wind and solar energy are the future. Supplying the grid with power is good ecology as well as good economics."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire restore funding for the Office of the Child Advocate?

"For"

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire guarantee the right to access abortion before 24 weeks?

"I believe decisions about a woman's health, including the issue of abortion should be decided between a woman and her doctor."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire reinstate the interest and dividends tax?

"Last year, the Legislature eliminated the Interest and Dividends (I&D) Tax, a tax we have had in New Hampshire for over 100 years that brought in over $184 million in tax revenue in 2024. That tax fell mainly on the wealthy and the extremely wealthy. In 2023, 21 filers paid over $19 million of that tax, approximately $1 million each. To pay that amount at a tax of 4% requires income of $25 million. To receive income of $25 million assuming a rate of return of 4% requires an investment of $625 million. The fact is that 52% of that tax was paid by 1,723 filers who earned over $200,000 in interest and dividends alone in 2020. The I&D Tax does not apply to interest and dividend income in your IRA, 401(K) or other qualified retirement plans. The excluded amount from the tax was $2,400 per person, $4,800 for joint filers. That threshold amount had remained unchanged for 40 years or so. It needs to be set at $10,000 per person, $20,000 for joint filers, and that excluded amount needs to be adjusted for inflation every year."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Do you support New Hampshire’s current system of public school funding, with about two-thirds of total funding coming from local property taxes?

"The state needs to pay more - much more. Right now, property taxes provide a staggering 60% or more of total state and local tax revenues. Local property taxes are approximately 52%. The Statewide Education Property Tax (SWEPT), which you pay in addition to your local property taxes, is 5%. The Real Estate Transfer Tax is 3%. Those three total 60%. The state now pays less than 30% of public school costs, while municipalities pay over 63%. The federal government pays about 8%. The state should pay the municipalities at least 50% of actual school costs. We should not be fighting the state over this. The state should be on our side."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by allowing home-growing and private use without sales?

"I need to hear more about this issue. I do not believe that use of marijuna should be a crime."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by licensing growers and private retail locations?

"I need to hear more about this issue. I do not believe that use of marijuna should be a crime."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by establishing state-run cannabis stores?

"I need to hear more about this issue. I do not believe that use of marijuna should be a crime."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire require new voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering to vote?

"This issue has been ruled on by our New Hampshire federal court, which has established the requirements for new voters as set forth below, with which I concur. I urge all voters to do everything they can to help ensure their votes count in the upcoming election. Voters should check with their towns or the Secretary of State's Office to make sure they are registered. There are new voting requirements under HB 1569, which survived the federal court's order that rejected certain of that statute's proof-of-citizenship requirements. First-time voters will need to provide documentary proof of their age, identity and domicile. Identity can be proven with a photo driver's license, a photo ID issued by the state or federal government or armed services, or a passport, or by a personal verification by an election official who knows the voter at the polls. These same documents can be used to prove a person is 18 or older. The following documentary proof will suffice to prove domicile and demonstrate that a person lives in the precinct: A driver's license or non-driver's photo ID; A New Hampshire vehicle registration; A U.S. government ID that has the voter's current address; A tax document with the voter's current address; A government-issued check or benefit statement with their current address. If the voter does not possess those documents, they must attest under penalty of fraud that they do not possess them and provide a document from a list that includes a utility bill, lease, deed or other documents set forth by the Secretary of State. The voter must also show documentary evidence of proof of citizenship if possible. If not, a voter must sign a 'qualified voter affidavit' sworn under penalty of fraud that they are a U.S. citizen. Local officials may check with the Secretary of State's Office to verify citizenship if they were born in New Hampshire or have a REAL ID N.H. driver's license, which requires proof of citizenship. If, eventually, first-time voters (or all voters) are required to have documentary proof of citizenship, the state or federal government should provide such proof, including obtaining a photograph, at no cost to the voter. Poll taxes are prohibited, and a voter should not be required to pay a fee to obtain documentary proof of citizenship in order to vote. For now, voters should check with the Secretary of State's Office or town or ward to confirm they are registered to vote. New voters should check with the Secretary of State's Office for up-to-date requirements regarding documents needed to vote."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire allow at least 10% of students in each school district to enroll in a different public school, regardless of where they live?

"This is just one more contrivance by the Legislature to avoid its obligation to appropriate funds to the municipalities to provide an adequate public school education for our children. This legislation would burden some towns and residents unfairly. With limits sounds fine, but the limits are by definition subject to change by the Legislature. Look at the EFA program. It started small, 2,500 kids for those whose families lacked the resources to homeschool their kids. Now it's grown to over 10,000 kids of parents whose income is in the millions to send their kids to elite private schools."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire repeal the ban on abortion after 24 weeks gestation?

"I believe decisions about a woman's health, including the issue of abortion should be decided between a woman and her doctor."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should state law cap how much local school districts can increase their budget each year?

"The local school boards know best how much the town needs to spend on its schools. Capping that spending by the state would replace a well-informed decision with an uneducated political limit. I am against any state takeover of local spending decisions, including legislation capping local school funding. School funding comes from two principal sources, local property taxes and state appropriations. The present legislation passed by the Legislature mandating voters to consider placing a cap on local school spending not to exceed the rate of inflation threatens adequate funding of our schools. If the Legislature's contribution to public schools did not keep up with the rate of inflation, which it hasn't for over 18 years, towns would be prohibited from making up that lost state contribution, as to do so they would need to exceed the rate of inflation on their share."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should NH pass stricter gun control laws?

"To the extent assault rifles can be restricted constitutionally, they should be. We should not permit guns in our schools or on campuses to the extent that we can do so. The logistical problems of college students carrying assault rifles on campus are insurmountable. While you are sitting in a classroom taking notes or performing assignments, what do you do with the weapon you brought with you? To keep it safe, do you keep a trigger lock on it? Do you bring it to a frat party where you will be drinking? Leave it in your car? From a Constitutional point of view, does confronting a sullen, angry fellow student in class about an issue that is increasing that student's growing anger cause you to have second thoughts and chill your freedom of expression? The right to freedom of expression under the First Amendment takes precedence over the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment. That's why it was the first amendment to the Constitution. The Second Amendment does not put an age limit on the right to bear arms. Does that mean 5-year-olds have such a right? The Supreme Court has ruled that mandatory sentences of life without parole for those under 18 are unconstitutional, recognizing that minors have an undeveloped sense of responsibility. The right of colleges to set a higher age for the protection of students should be respected. The law distinguishes between murder and manslaughter depending on whether the offense was cold-blooded or in the heat of the moment. This difference is often determined on the basis of whether the perpetrator went home, got a gun, and came back and shot the victim. This time to get a gun is referred to as a 'cooling off' period, time to reflect and not act. That cooling off period is missing when young people drinking beer at a frat party get into an argument while packing a firearm."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should NH add a broad-based sales tax?

In an email to Citizens Count DePuy wrote, "I have had many requests like yours to comment on questions like these, most of which require lengthy explanations to answer. ... I do not believe in broad based income or sales taxes and am fearful that others may go that way as our present legislature keeps cutting or eliminating other sources of tax revenue and doing so while it intentionally fails to pay what is due the municipalities. That is irresponsible. Money to support state services does not come out of thin air."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should New Hampshire add a tax on capital gains?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should New Hampshire government do more to address climate change?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Do you support giving voters who register without ID on Election Day a ballot that only counts if they return identifying documents to the state before a deadline?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should the state increase funding for child care providers?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should New Hampshire raise the minimum wage?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should New Hampshire add legal protections for residents of other states who travel here for health care related to abortion or gender transition?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024

Should NH require local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement?