The first documented case of voter fraud in New Hampshire in recent memory emerged during the Jan. 10 presidential primary, when a conservative group deliberately committed fraud to make a political point.

Project Veritas, a national non-profit organization founded by conservative activist James O’Keefe, sent a “team of investigators” to a dozen polling places in New Hampshire with a list of recently deceased voters. At all but one of the locations, they were able to obtain a ballot using the name of a deceased citizen. They did not actually vote, but they posted a video of their interactions on the Internet.

Republican leaders say the video illustrates the need to reform New Hampshire’s election laws and require voter identification. But Democrats called the video a “shameful scam” aimed at drumming up support for unneeded legislation.

“There has been no history of voter fraud in the state of New Hampshire—that is until Tuesday when GOP operatives manufactured it solely to gin up support for a discriminatory voter ID law,” Democratic Party spokesman Harrell Kirstein said in a statement. 

The New Hampshire League of Women Voters, too, criticized the video and called on the state Attorney General’s Office to prosecute those responsible. It is illegal to use a false name to obtain a ballot in New Hampshire. It is also illegal to record someone without his or her knowledge and consent.

The Attorney General’s Office has vowed to investigate the incident and review state voting procedures.  

In 2011, Gov. John Lynch vetoed a bill that would have required voters to show photo identification at the polls, and his veto was sustained. But Republicans have now introduced Senate Bill 318, which would require voter ID. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in Concord on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

While they concede that polling places must update their voting checklists to eliminate recently deceased voters, Democrats worry that stricter voter ID laws are costly, burdensome and make it difficult for some people to vote.