State Republicans have pointed to the arrest as evidence of the need for recently passed bills restricting voting rights in the state, but most recent illegal voting in New Hampshire has been committed by Republicans
The man arrested last week by New Hampshire authorities for voter fraud in three separate state elections was a registered Republican and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, public records and social media posts show.
The New Hampshire Department of Justice (NHDOJ) announced Tuesday that Naseef Bryan of Manchester was arrested for wrongful voting in three separate elections. Bryan, a green card holder, has been charged with three felony counts of wrongful voting.
The state DOJ alleges that Bryan “knowingly voted for any office or measure…despite not being qualified to vote because he is not a United States citizen” in the most recent Manchester City Election, New Hampshire’s Presidential Primary Election in 2024, and last year’s General Election.
Voter records show that Bryan is a registered Republican, voted in the Republican presidential primary election in 2024, and expressed his support for Donald Trump across multiple social media posts.
In one post from 2023, Bryan appears to allege he was targeted by “Biden and [his] associates at NHTI” in the processing of his papers, financial aid, and education because he chose Trump over Biden.
“This man is the real deal… God bless trump” he wrote in another post.
Following his arrest Bryan appealed to state GOP groups and individuals, in an apparent attempt to intervene on his behalf.
State Republicans have pointed to the arrest as justification for their passage of recent legislation dramatically tightening voting laws in the state. However, most recent cases of illegal voting in New Hampshire have also involved Republicans themselves.
Republican former State Rep. Troy Merner was charged and pled guilty to wrongful voting in 2024, losing his right to vote in the process. Merner represented Lancaster and continued voting in town elections after moving to Carroll in 2022 by illegally misrepresenting his place of residence. NH GOP leadership in the House of Representatives was reported to have engaged in a cover up of Merner’s illegal voting to preserve Republicans’ partisan advantage that year.
A Republican former candidate for NH House of Representatives Jeffrey D. Berlin, a staunch advocate for “election integrity,” was fined $750 by the New Hampshire DOJ for casting his ballot in Durham despite living in Madbury during the 2024 general election. Berlin alleges that his legal domicile is in Durham and is appealing the cease-and-desist directives to stop voting and running for office outside his district.
Trump’s repeated claims of widespread voter fraud carried out by Democrats have failed to produce any evidence despite multiple investigations and dozens of lawsuits across the country. National data shows that cases of voter fraud are rare and isolated.
Last year, New Hampshire passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (“SAVE”) Act requiring proof of US citizenship to register to vote. New Hampshire REAL ID driver’s licenses and military IDs no longer qualify as adequate identification when registering to vote.
The law took effect after the general election last November, with strong opposition from Democrats and voting rights groups who say it disenfranchises the many Granite Staters who do not have ready access to a passport or a birth certificate with their current name. Critics of the bill argue that married women who have changed their last names are especially vulnerable to disenfranchisement.
New Hampshire town clerks have already described instances of voters being turned away for lacking adequate proof during registration.
Nationally, the Republican party is following suit. The US House has passed a similar law requiring proof of citizenship and criminally punishing election officials who register someone who fails to present proof. The national SAVE Act is expected to be voted on by the Senate this year.
Wrongful voting is a Class B felony charge under New Hampshire law. If found guilty, Bryan could face up to seven years in state prison and a fine of up to $4,000. His court date is set for August 22 and his case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant AG Brendan O’Donnell of the Election Law Unit.
Correction, an earlier version of this post identified Naseef Bryan as Naseef Brown, we regret the error.
