Voting is one of the most important rights of an American citizen and a civic responsibility that Granite Staters take seriously. Let’s be clear: everyone who is legally entitled to vote should be encouraged to do so.

But recent reports of illegal voting activity have undermined public confidence in the integrity of our elections.

WMUR-TV discovered that several out-of-state political operatives were registered to vote at the Portsmouth mansion of Martha Fuller Clark, a state senator and the Vice Chairman of the New Hampshire Democrat Party. Many of these individuals were temporary houseguests who used her address to register to vote and cast ballots in New Hampshire elections. They had no legal ties to our state, stayed for only a short period of time during election season and never had any intent to stay in our state.

People who move to New Hampshire for work and establish residency here clearly have every right to vote. The 2010 senatorial campaign managers for Republican Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Paul Hodes both uprooted their lives, relocated to New Hampshire for over a year, signed leases, and legally cast ballots.

But people who live in other states, parachute into New Hampshire for only a few days, and temporarily stay at the home of a state senator do not have a right to cast ballots in our elections.

How has the New Hampshire Democrat Party responded to the serious questions about illegal voting at their vice chairman’s mansion? By making false equivalences, ignoring the facts, and shamefully claiming that drive-by voting is completely legal.

The assertion that there is nothing illegal about this practice is wrong. Courts have recognized that states have a compelling interest in ensuring that only “bona fide residents” are permitted to vote. What are those interests? Among them, in the words of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, are “to produce a knowledgeable vote and to prevent fraudulent registration.” Thus, every state has some requirement that must be met before a voter can be qualified.

In New Hampshire, a voter must meet certain statutory requirements. When they sign a voter registration form they swear that they are “domiciled” in our state. It is impossible to meet this definition by sleeping on Martha Fuller Clark’s couch for only a few weeks or months while working on a campaign.

New Hampshire state law says that a domicile is the “one place where a person, more than any other place, has established a physical presence.”

Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a Democrat, has said that “It cannot be that non-residents can somehow claim domicile for voting purposes only and be able to change the foundation of New Hampshire and its government by voting for its lawmakers and proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot …To suggest that there is a separate definition of ‘domicile’ for voting purposes is wrong,”

Did Senator Fuller Clark’s house guests give up their lease in other states and move their belongings here? Did they request the Postal Service to forward their mail here? Clearly they didn’t.

Second, the law says a voter must “manifest an intent to maintain a single continuous presence for domestic, social and civil purposes relevant to participating in democratic self-government.” Did Senator Fuller Clark’s house guests comply with New Hampshire law and, within 60 days of moving here, register their vehicles in New Hampshire? Did they, within 60 days, apply for a New Hampshire driver’s license? There is no evidence to suggest they did.

The New Hampshire Republican Party believes that everybody, regardless of political affiliation, needs to follow New Hampshire voting laws. The New Hampshire Department of Justice must prosecute cases of voter fraud so that our laws do not become meaningless rules that are meant to be broken.

We have brought forward four egregious examples of abuse which are even more troubling given that they involve a lawmaker who swore to uphold the laws of the state of New Hampshire. The important interests at stake require an investigation to ensure that Granite Staters are confident that illegal voters are not canceling out their votes.

Jennifer Horn is chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

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