Lawmakers dispute Obama ballot eligibility

By Michael Carl

Several New Hampshire legislators declared at a press conference today that President Barack Obama is not a "natural born citizen" of the United States and that New Hampshire voters were defrauded by Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

Coos, District 1, state Rep. Larry Rappaport told the crowd he has filed a petition asking New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney to investigate whether the Ballot Law Commission acted illegally by allowing Obama's name on the New Hampshire ballot.

Rappaport said New Hampshire voters need a real and legitimate choice.

"We're not in a position to rule on the petition, but we feel there needs to be an investigation. Consequently, we have asked the secretary of state, who referred us to the ballot law commission," Rappaport said.

"The Ballot Law Commission held a hearing on November 18, and it refused to hear our request," he continued. "We asked for a rehearing; it was denied. We asked for an override by the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and it refused to hear our case. We went to the Supreme Court of the United States, and that's where it stands now."

As WND reported, a federal judge has ruled that President Obama must be "constitutionally eligible."

"For the first time in dozens of court cases challenging Barack Obama's eligibility to be president, a judge has ruled that Obama must, in order to be a candidate on the Georgia ballot for president in 2012, meet the constitutional demands for candidates for the office," the report states.

Coos District 1 state Rep. Larry Rappaport

The legislator's petition was denied by the Ballot Law Commission because the commission said it didn't have the authority to rule on the issue, noting that it can only ensure the accuracy of the petitions and whether the document is accompanied by the filing fee.

Rappaport said the attorney general has standing to make a decision on Obama's eligibility because ballot issues are state concerns. State Reps. Lucien Vita and Laurie Pettingill are part of the delegation pushing the review. They, too, agreed that ballot access is a state issue.

Belknap District 4 state Rep. Harry Accornero disputes the commission's decision because he says it has made rulings on similar issues in the past.

"The Ballot Law Committee says it doesn't have jurisdiction over this issue, but it does. It disqualified two other candidates for office because those candidates weren't 'natural born citizens,'" he said.

Accornero was referring to the 2007 case of Sal Mohamed and the 2011 case of Abdul Hassan, who were denied ballot access by the commission after it ruled that the two men were not "natural born citizens."

Mohamed filed to run for president in 2007 and was denied New Hampshire ballot access that same year.

Hassan is a New York attorney, who, as a naturalized American citizen, attempted to gain ballot access in New Hampshire to run for president.

"So if it can make that ruling on those two men, it could have done the same for Obama," Accornero noted.

He said the issue would be moot if the Democratic Party had properly examined Obama's history.

"This whole thing never would have come up if the Democrats had vetted Obama properly," he said, adding, "The spin on this is that this is a birther issue. The Democrats want to direct attention away from the issue to partisanship. This isn't partisan. This is a constitutional issue, pure and simple."

James Page, a member of the crowd, supports the petition. He said he was at the conference today to find out why the Ballot Law Commission evaded its responsibility.

"I want to find out why they said they didn't have jurisdiction when in fact they did," Page said. "They lied to the people saying they didn't have the authority to do that. It's a mess, and I want to know why these people refuse, and keep refusing to hear this case."

He continued, "The point is that it doesn't matter where he was born. The issue is that he's not a 'natural born citizen' by the findings of the Supreme Court."

The Supreme Court ruled in Minor v. Happersett that a person is a natural born citizen when he or she is born to two parents who are both U.S. citizens.

There has been no word on when a decision will be made on the petition.