Author: Rep. Steven Smith

Steven Smith is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving his 7th term. Rep. Smith currently represents Charlestown, Newport, and Unity. Rep. Smith is the Deputy Speaker of the NH House.

Questions Remain In ‘Cross Dressing’ Dem Double-Voter Case

Rep. Steven Smith

Vincent Marzello, 65, of West Lebanon, N.H., is accused of voting once as himself and then disguising himself as a woman to vote again, according to charges filed by the New Hampshire Attorney General last week. Marzello was also named a ballot inspector by the New Hampshire Democratic Party under his female identity.

Now the journalists responsible for uncovering this alleged crime want to know why AG Gordon MacDonald’s office sat on the case for months, only filing charges after being pressured by their organization.

“We’re exposing private truths that contrast with public lies,” Neil McCabe, Chief Communications Director for Project Veritas, told NHJournal. “We are told [voter fraud] never happens. Yet, they knew this happened and sat on it.”

In a press statement released Thursday, the NH Department of Justice reported Marzello was charged with a Class B Felony after attempting to vote twice in the general election, “by voting once as Vincent Marzello and once as Helen Elisabeth Ashley.”

The New Hampshire Democratic Party appointed the double voter as an election inspector for the 2020 election under his female alias.New Hampshire State Police Trooper 1st Class James Decker told Project Veritas he investigated Marzello for double voting after Marzello attempted to secure the second photo ID required by the state’s 2012 voter integrity law.

Marzello faces up to seven years in prison. The New Hampshire Democratic Party has since removed “Helen Ashley” from her job as a ballot inspector.

House Republicans Call on Democrats to Support Repeal of Prospective Business Tax Hikes

Rep. Steven Smith

House Republicans Call on Democrats to Support Repeal of Prospective Business Tax Hikes

House Republican Leader Dick Hinch issued the following statement relative to Governor Sununu’s call for Democrat legislative leadership to repeal business tax rate hikes should the state’s revenues fall below a trigger point currently prescribed in law.

Democrats in the legislature insisted on establishing a trigger mechanism into the state budget so that if state revenues fell, business taxes would rise. But in the midst of an economic catastrophe, that’s the last thing our businesses need,“ Hinch said. “House Republicans will unequivocally support and move to fast track legislation that would repeal this dangerous tax trigger mechanism to help us support our small business community, rather than tax them into failure. If the goal is to get our economy back on track, and get people back to work, we need these prospective tax increases off the table as soon as possible, and start working on tax relief.”

“Republicans believed that only in the event of an unlikely economic catastrophe would revenue ever reach that trigger point. Unfortunately, the impossible has happened, and we now urgently need to delete the Democrat’s trigger that could break the backs of many businesses who will be struggling to get back to normal operation, and get people back to work.”

Background: HB4, the budget trailer bill, contained language that would raise the Business Enterprise Tax by 12.5% and the Business Profits Tax by 2.5% should state revenues fall 6% or more short of the revenue plan through the end of the fiscal year (June 30th, 2020). The tax increase would take effect on January 1, 2021.

The current rate for the BET is 0.6% and would increase to 0.675%.

The current rate for the BPT is 7.7% and would increase to 7.9%.