U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s voting record has raised many questions and sparked outrage among citizens who remain dissatisfied with the Trump administration. Gabbard reportedly declared her residency in Texas but ended up casting her 2024 general election vote in Hawaii.
Tulsi Gabbard grew up in Hawaii and was elected into the state legislature at 21, making her the youngest person to accomplish the feat. When she was a Democrat, she served in Hawaii’s Army National Guard and also represented the state in Congress from 2013 to 2021.
Last year, it became clear that Gabbard had ditched her Democratic views to become a Republican when she endorsed and campaigned for Trump at several events. She even supported Trump’s views on election security and voting integrity.
The Director of National Intelligence bought a home just outside of Austin, Texas, with her husband. Together, they also took an oath declaring that they were residents of the state. However, Gabbard voted in Hawaii a few months later and is being accused of voter fraud.
Gabbard’s attorneys say the U.S. official still intends to remain a Hawaii resident. They claim that she applied for homestead tax exemption in Texas to protect her address from the public as she had been facing security threats.
“Director Gabbard was, is, and intends to remain a Hawaii resident. That is where she lives, pays taxes, and, of course, votes… The definitions of residency for the purpose of voting in Hawaii and for claiming a homestead exemption in Texas are totally different, and on their face, not mutually exclusive.” Gabbard’s attorneys said, per CNN.
However, Justin Levitt, a voting policy adviser, explained that it could become a problem if Gabbard voted in Hawaii without meeting Hawaii’s eligibility standards. On the other hand, issues could arise if the U.S. official intends to remain a Hawaii resident but still wants access to the Texas tax exemption.
Many social media users have reacted to Gabbard’s voter fraud accusations, saying that she should face the full wrath of the law as dictated under Trump’s administration.
One user wrote, “Ok. You got one, Donald. Your Director of National Intelligence has indeed committed voter fraud. Lock her up. You can add one count of mishandling classified information and another for lying to Congress.”
Another user penned, “ Some Chinese college student at the University of Michigan admitted to voting in the last election and got deported.” This Redditor concurred, “I agree. Tulsi should be deported.”
Other users joked that she should be sent to El Salvador, while others pointed out that Trump’s administration may use her as an example of why DEI is terrible.
“She’s not white (enough), and so if pushes come to shoving, could go down/be made an example of,” this citizen predicted. This user agreed, adding, “They’ll use her as an example of DEI being bad.“
When questioned about why she swore to be a Texas resident, Gabbard’s attorneys provided no comments.
