Ex-Trump aide running for Congress voted in 2 primaries in 2016
Matt Mowers, a former Trump administration official turned Republican congressional candidate in New Hampshire, voted twice during the 2016 primary elections, "potentially violating federal voting law and leaving him at odds with the Republican Party's intense focus on 'election integrity,'" The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Specificially, Mowers, who is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, apparently cast a ballot in New Jersey's 2016 Republican presidential primary four months after casting an absentee ballot in New Hampshire's, AP reports.
The former Trump official was working as the director of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) presidential campaign when he initially voted in New Hampshire. But later, once Christie's bid lost steam, Mowers used his parents' address to re-register in his home state of New Jersey and cast another ballot, per AP.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some legal experts believe Mowers' double vote could violate a federal law that prevents double-dipping in general, special, or primary elections, including casting a ballot in separate jurisdictions.
"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," law professor David Schultz told AP. "You get one bite at the voting apple."
But others don't believe the possibility of voter fraud is that clear-cut. "For starters, it's an undeveloped area of law," AP writes. Mowers is also unlikely to face prosecution, considering the statute of limitations has passed and "there is no record of anyone being prosecuted under this specific section of federal election law," per AP.
Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also recently drew scrutiny for his voting record following allegations that he was registered in two states and listed a mobile home he did not own as his legal residence just before voting in the 2020 election.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Ryanair/SpaceX: could Musk really buy the airline?Talking Point Irish budget carrier has become embroiled in unlikely feud with the world’s wealthiest man
-
Claudette Colvin: teenage activist who paved the way for Rosa ParksIn The Spotlight Inspired by the example of 19th century abolitionists, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus
-
5 contentious cartoons about Donald Trump at DavosCartoons Artists take on weaponized tariffs, a cheeky offering, and more
-
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ comes into confounding focusIn the Spotlight What began as a plan to redevelop the Gaza Strip is quickly emerging as a new lever of global power for a president intent on upending the standing world order
-
Trump sues JPMorgan for $5B over ‘debanking’Speed Read Trump accused the company of closing his accounts for political reasons
-
ICE memo OKs forcible entry without warrantSpeed Read The secret memo was signed last May
-
Halligan quits US attorney role amid court pressureSpeed Read Halligan’s position had already been considered vacant by at least one judge
-
Can anyone stop Donald Trump?Today's Big Question US president ‘no longer cares what anybody thinks’ so how to counter his global strongman stance?
-
How Iran protest death tolls have been politicisedIn the Spotlight Regime blames killing of ‘several thousand’ people on foreign actors and uses videos of bodies as ‘psychological warfare’ to scare protesters
-
Trump’s Greenland ambitions push NATO to the edgeTalking Points The military alliance is facing its worst-ever crisis
-
Venezuela: Does Trump have a plan?Feature Oil and democracy are both on the table
