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.
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.
