Did your legislator show up to vote in 2026?

It’s officially summertime, which means it’s time for Citizens Count’s annual review of legislator attendance data. The good news is that attendance in the New Hampshire legislature held up well in 2026, with most representatives and senators continuing to show up reliably for roll call votes. But averages can hide a lot, and this year was no exception. Here's how the numbers break down.

House attendance dips slightly but remains historically strong

House representatives had an overall 89% attendance rate for roll call votes in 2026, and were present for 92% of voting days. Overall attendance took a small step back from 2025, but the bigger picture is encouraging: attendance is up compared to the past two decades and remains above the long-term average, which has typically sat in the mid-80% range since the state began publishing detailed roll call data in 1999.

At the top of the range, 31 representatives had a perfect voting record, and another 15 missed just one vote all session. At the other end, 31 representatives skipped at least a third of all roll call votes.

It's worth noting how attendance is measured. A representative whose absence is “excused” still misses the vote, regardless of the reason. These figures also cover the full two-year session.

Senate attendance remains nearly perfect

The Senate turned in another strong performance, with senators boasting a 98% attendance rate for roll call votes on average. That number is consistent with where the Senate typically lands. The chamber is small enough that individual absences get noticed, and this year 16 of 24 senators never missed a single vote.

Partisan breakdown showed no meaningful difference in attendance between Democrats and Republicans in either chamber.

Belknap County brings up the rear, again

Sorting House attendance by county tells an interesting story, and one county in particular stands apart. Belknap County's representatives averaged just 69% participation in roll call votes, a significant drop from their already-low 78% in 2025 and far behind every other county. Here's how each county ranked:

• Sullivan – 97%
• Cheshire – 94%
• Grafton – 93%
• Hillsborough – 91%
• Rockingham – 88%
• Merrimack – 88%
• Carroll – 87%
• Strafford – 86%
• Coös – 85%
• Belknap – 69%

The gap isn't driven by a single outlier. Multiple members of the Belknap delegation had poor attendance records, which is all the more striking given how close Belknap County is to Concord.

Does attendance really matter?

Just like when you were in school, attendance counts. Or, it should count to voters, anyway. Several votes this session came down to margins so thin that a single absent legislator could have flipped the outcome:

• An amendment to HB 675, a controversial bill to limit local school district expenses, passed the House by just one vote.
• SB 669, which would have raised fees for on-premises liquor licenses at barbershops and salons, was killed in the House by just two votes.
• The House passed a repeal of the state refugee resettlement program (HB 1706) by six votes, though the Senate ultimately killed the bill.
• SB 627, which increased tolls for non-EZ Pass users, survived a House vote by just six votes.

One vote, two votes, six votes: in a chamber this size, something as simple as attendance can decide policy for the whole state. To see how your own legislators performed and how often they voted with their party, visit Citizens Count's elected official pages and search by your town.

Image Credits: "New Hampshire House of Representatives from balcony" by Royalbroil, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.