In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Clerk/Tax Collector Jerrica Vansylyvong-Bizier about Dover's upcoming municipal election on Nov. 4, 2025. Voters will elect a new mayor, six city councilors (one per ward), two at-large councilors, six school board members, and various election officials. While the school board races are uncontested, several city council races are contested.

Vansylyvong-Bizier explains that existing registered voters need only bring photo ID to their unchanged polling locations, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. New residents must provide photo ID plus proof of Dover address, and can register at City Hall through October 27th or at polling places on Election Day. Recent law changes now require photo ID for absentee ballot requests, and new voters must prove citizenship through documents like birth certificates, passports, or naturalization papers.

The city's election webpage -- https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/election-information/2025-municipal-election/ -- maintains updated candidate information and financial disclosure forms. While this municipal election typically sees lower turnout than state or federal races, Vansylyvong-Bizier emphasizes that local elections directly impact residents' daily lives and encourages maximum participation.

In This Week in Dover History, we learn about Franklin Academy, Dover's first brick public building, incorporated in 1818 on Central Avenue. The private college prep school operated for 75 years, closing in 1896 after educating generations of local youth.