Rep. O’Brien “Deeply Disturbed” by Opponent Deware’s Voting Record
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Rhode Island State Representative William O'Brien (D-District 54, North Providence) has responded to the revelation that Democratic primary opponent Bill Deware admitted to voting outside his district.
"I am deeply disturbed by this revelation. My opponent admits to committing voter fraud multiple times. People have fought and died to protect the right to vote fairly and I have a colleague from Pawtucket who lost an election by one vote," said O'Brien.
GoLocal reported on Monday that while living in North Providence, Deware voted over a course of several years at his previous polling location in Johnston.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"When I first moved to North Providence at the end of 2009 I did what I think a lot of Rhode Islanders do; I forgot to change my voter registration. Despite living in the district in North Providence I was still voting in Johnston. My wife made the switch but I just never thought about it. My family was going through a lot with my daughter's conditions and it just slipped through the cracks. I wasn't involved in politics and never had any intention of running so I wasn't doing it out of any nefarious reason," wrote Deware in an email on Sunday night.
READ: Questions Over Candidate’s Residence, Voting History Arise in North Providence
O'Brien, who was the subject of an ethics complaint from the Progressive Democrats, shot back in response.
"For the last three months my opponent has professed his love for the town of North Providence. He obviously loved our town enough to take advantage of a homestead exemption, but he didn’t love North Providence enough to vote in our elections," said O'Brien.
The emergence of the North Providence revelations come following Republican Party Chair Brandon Bell filing an ethics complaint against Representative John Carnevale, after a WPRI investigation which questioned if Carnevale in fact lived in Providence. The complaint is based on where Carnevale is registered to vote.
Related Slideshow: Races to Watch in 2016 - RI Progressive Democrats
Sam Bell, State Director for the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats, ran through a list of races to watch at the GA in 2016. Bell noted that as of June 1, Progressive Dems had yet to make endorsements. "This is just my take and analysis of these races," said Bell.
Bell noted other races as well that weren't on the list.
"Julie Casimiro, because of her positions on certain labor issues and some of her past work on education, but we view her as a real Democrat, we are certainly cheering her on, and some of our members may well help her out," said Bell, who noted it was similar for another Democrat. "Same for Lisa Tomasso, we certainly feel she is the much preferable candidate (to Republican Sherry) Roberts."
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