A month ago, there was a story in Fosters about NH State Representative Don Leeman. The pertinent facts:
In December he moved out of the district that elected him. He continued to serve in the legislature. In February he voted in the district that elected him - NOT the district where he lived. In March, the Legislative Administration committee determined that he was no longer qualified to represent his district, since he didn't live there any more.
Leeman gave Speaker Shawn Jasper a note from his new, temp landlord on Tuesday, and today, according to Fosters the committee report saying Leeman wasn't qualified to serve was tabled, and he gets to keep his seat.
Let's review, shall we?
Leeman moved in December.
He went back to the legislature in January, and continued to serve, without telling anyone that he had moved.
Leeman went to the polls on February 9, to participate in the first in the nation primary.
He went to the polls in a district that he did not live in and voted.
He committed election fraud.
He committed voter fraud.
And today, he was allowed to keep his seat in the NH House.
I do not want to hear a single word, EVER, from NH Republicans about voter fraud.
NH State Rep. Don Leeman of Rochester, NH (h/t miscellany blue for photo)
After the NH Primary, there was a small, quiet story in the news. From Fosters:
A local state representative’s voting location has sparked an investigation from the state’s Attorney General.
Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan confirmed on Wednesday that the Attorney General’s office is looking into whether State Rep. Don Leeman, R-Rochester, violated any state laws by voting in the recent N.H. presidential primary election in a district in which he is temporarily no longer living.
Also:
Scanlan said a person intentionally voting in the wrong polling place faces a “range of potential ramifications, anything from civil fine to criminal prosecution.”
This wasn't a big story. You didn't see it splashed across the front page of the UL. You didn't see it covered on WMUR. When a Republican State Representative commits voter fraud, the NH media is silent.
Some of the bills Don Leeman sponsored this session:
HB 1425 restricting the use of food stamps in convenience stores. He wanted to allow only milk to be purchased in convenience stores with SNAP benefits. He told the committee he thinks people could get more for their money at supermarkets. No word on whether he was planning to give them rides.
HB 1542 Requiring drug testing of public assistance recipients. Because obviously, anyone receiving public assistance is on drugs. As we all know, this has cost other states a fortune, and saved them nothing.
HB 1629 Disqualifying members of certain groups from receiving public assistance. This would add a checkbox to forms so that people who are members of foreign terrorist groups could self-sort themselves out of getting any kind of public assistance in the US. It also provided a helpful "fink" provision that would enable residents to turn in anyone they thought was a terrorist, and potentially get a reward.
It seems Leeman was deeply concerned with uncovering fraud. Except, of course, when he was committing it himself. Then it was justified. Leeman should be charged with election fraud, and voter fraud.
He is now on the verge of being a former State Representative. The House Legislative Administration Committee has made this determination:
The committee, as part of this report undertook to
answer two questions. 1) Is the member an inhabitant of the district to which he was elected? 2) Is
the member qualified to continue to represent the district to which he was elected? The committee
agreed, unanimously, that the answer to both questions was no. Representative Leeman can no
longer serve as a member of the New Hampshire House because he has constitutionally disqualified
himself.
All of this without a whisper from the NH media.
According to Fosters today:
Should the House vote Leeman is no longer qualified, his seat would be vacated immediately, Rivers said.
Leeman said he had appeared before the committee on Tuesday and was confident he would not be voted out of his seat. He said Tuesday he had spoken to the Speaker of the House, and that "we have a resolution to the whole thing."
A resolution? He moved out of his district, then voted in it anyway in an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of his constituents, so he could keep his seat.
If they vote to keep him, the NH GOP should STFU about voter fraud, now and forever.
