Seems Like the Director of National Intelligence Isn't Too Intelligent.
Tulsi Gabbard declared her residency in Texas. Then she voted in Hawai'i.
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149391
As Tulsi Gabbard completed her transformation from a Hawaii Democratic politician to a MAGA surrogate last year, she put down stakes in a far redder state. Gabbard and her husband bought a home outside of Austin and declared under oath last June that they were “resident(s) of the State of Texas.”
But a few months later, Gabbard voted in the 2024 general election back in Hawaii.
Election law experts said Gabbard’s vote, coupled with her claiming a homestead tax break on her Texas home, raises questions about whether she properly cast her ballot and illustrates the complexity of state voting laws.
Gabbard is now director of national intelligence under President Donald Trump. Trump has continued to press false claims of widespread voter fraud and demanded further actions by state and federal authorities to address it.
Representatives for Gabbard said she never intended to abandon her longtime Hawaii residency, despite signing the sworn declaration calling herself a Texas resident.
“Director Gabbard was, is, and intends to remain a Hawaii resident,” Gabbard’s lawyers, Jesse Binnall and Jason Greaves, wrote in a cease-and-desist letter sent to CNN prior to this article’s publication. “That is where she lives, pays taxes, and, of course, votes.”
Under Hawaii voting regulations, when voters have a homeowner’s tax exemption, that home is presumed to be their residence for election purposes.
Gabbard’s attorneys said she applied for a homestead tax exemption, which Texas law only allows on a principal residence, because she “took the advice of local officials” who told her it was required to shield her address from public view. Her office said she was facing a significant security threat.
But a few months later, Gabbard voted in the 2024 general election back in Hawaii.
Election law experts said Gabbard’s vote, coupled with her claiming a homestead tax break on her Texas home, raises questions about whether she properly cast her ballot and illustrates the complexity of state voting laws.
Gabbard is now director of national intelligence under President Donald Trump. Trump has continued to press false claims of widespread voter fraud and demanded further actions by state and federal authorities to address it.
Representatives for Gabbard said she never intended to abandon her longtime Hawaii residency, despite signing the sworn declaration calling herself a Texas resident.
“Director Gabbard was, is, and intends to remain a Hawaii resident,” Gabbard’s lawyers, Jesse Binnall and Jason Greaves, wrote in a cease-and-desist letter sent to CNN prior to this article’s publication. “That is where she lives, pays taxes, and, of course, votes.”
Under Hawaii voting regulations, when voters have a homeowner’s tax exemption, that home is presumed to be their residence for election purposes.
Gabbard’s attorneys said she applied for a homestead tax exemption, which Texas law only allows on a principal residence, because she “took the advice of local officials” who told her it was required to shield her address from public view. Her office said she was facing a significant security threat.
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149391
36-40, FVIP
