SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Republican Central Committee removed Jensen Heisel from his seat as the Clark Fork precinct committeeman during an executive session on Friday. 

In a press release, newly appointed BCRCC Chair Rodger Rudd said the committee determined Heisel was not a “qualified elector” as defined in Idaho Code and declared the seat vacant. Heisel told the Daily Bee on Monday that he will be meeting with his attorney to discuss future actions. 

Rudd said Clark Fork community members raised questions about Heisel’s residency and whether the address on his candidate filing aligned with where he lived. 

To be a qualified elector as a precinct committeeman, a person must have been a registered voter in the precinct for at least 6 months before the election. Heisel, who received 54.11% of the vote to defeat incumbent Dimitry Borisov in the May 19 primary election, owns property on Ninth Avenue in Clark Fork, but told the Daily Bee that he rents it out. 

The address on Ninth Avenue is the one that Heisel listed on his candidate filing and voter registration as his residency. Heisel told the Daily Bee he keeps personal belongings and furniture at a house on First Avenue in Clark Fork, which his parents own. 

In the executive session, Rudd said that Heisel acknowledged that the residence on his voter registration is not where he lives. The committee determined that he did not meet the requirements for qualified electors. Rudd said that the BCRCC will appoint a new qualified elector for the Clark Fork precinct at a future meeting.  

Scott Herndon, who was recently elected the Republican nominee for the District 1 state Senate seat, said Friday that the matter has been sent to the Bonner County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. He said a false residency on a voter registration form can constitute felony perjury under the Idaho Code. 

In his statement, Herndon said the precinct committeeman office is one of a political party, not a public office. He said that the committee has the authority to verify whether elected candidates meet the qualifications set forth in state law.  

Heisel said in his response to the challenge that he has acted in good faith throughout the process and requested that the challenge be denied at the county level. 

The Daily Bee reached out to the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, which chose not to comment on the matter.