A former Trump aide running for Congress in New Hampshire voted twice during the 2016 primary elections, putting him in an awkward position in a Republican Party that emphasizes voter integrity.
Matt Mowers, one of the top candidates vying to unseat Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, voted in two states’ primary elections in 2016, according to records obtained by the Associated Press. His actions may be in violation of federal law that prohibits voters from casting more than one ballot, although it’s unlikely he’ll be charged, as the statute of limitations has already expired.
“What he has done is cast a vote in two different states for the election of a president, which on the face of it looks like he’s violated federal law,” said David Schultz, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School who specializes in election law, according to the outlet. ”You get one bite at the voting apple.”
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Mowers first cast an absentee ballot in New Hampshire while he was working on then-GOP candidate Chris Christie’s presidential campaign. After Christie’s campaign fizzled, Mowers voted again four months later in New Jersey, where he registered at his parents’ address, records show.
The revelation puts Mowers largely at odds with the rest of the Republican Party, which has emphasized the need for voter integrity after former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that the 2020 election was stolen through widespread fraud. The GOP has since pushed for stricter voter laws in several states, including New Hampshire.
Even if he doesn’t face legal repercussions, Mowers’s double voting may offer ammunition to his opponents in a crowded field of Republicans. One candidate for the seat, former Trump White House assistant press secretary Karoline Leavitt, has already accused Mowers of being soft on election integrity.
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The New Hampshire primary is set for Sept. 13 as Republicans nationwide seek to retake control of Congress. Despite its history as a swing state in presidential elections, President Joe Biden’s falling approval ratings in New Hampshire could give the GOP a rare opportunity to pick up one of the two seats after a decade of Democratic dominance.
The state Legislature is also controlled by Republicans, who are likely to pass a new congressional map giving their party an increased advantage. Gov. Chris Sununu, also a Republican, and the Legislature are at odds about how best to secure an advantage, with the governor striving to make both seats competitive as state lawmakers work to secure one safe seat while sacrificing the other one to Democratic opponents.
