Investigator hired to probe possible New Hampshire voter fraud

Voting rights and potential fraud remain politically charged issues in New Hampshire, but the state’s new elections investigator said he’s ignoring the partisan divide and focusing on his job.

The hiring of Orville “Bud” Fitch by the secretary of state’s office comes as Republican lawmakers have increasingly sought to tighten voter registration and other election laws. The Republican-led Legislature included the new investigator position to enforce election laws in the state budget, and it passed legislation requiring the secretary of state’s office to look into cases in which address verification letters sent to voters are returned by the postal service as undeliverable.

Fitch said he was confident in his ability to get the job done and “to provide professional and thorough work.”

“I’m at this point required to be and glad to be a completely nonpartisan public servant doing this work,” Fitch said Monday. “I think those I’ve had the pleasure of working with, I’ve earned a fairly positive reputation with them.”

Read more: http://www.concordmonitor.com/Fitch-hired-to-probe-possible-New-Hampshire-voter-fraud-13576577