An election judge in Minnesota is facing felony charges after allegedly allowing individuals not properly registered to vote to participate in the 2024 election. Timothy Michael Scouton, who served as the head election judge for the Badoura Township Precinct in Hubbard County, Minnesota, has been charged with one count of accepting the vote of an unregistered voter and one count of neglect of duty by an election official.
According to reports, authorities were made aware of 11 voters who did not complete registration forms but were still allowed to vote. Despite Scouton having performed election judge training and head election judge training, which would have educated him on handling such matters, the judge permitted the votes.
The Secretary of State’s office released a statement that reads, “These allegations are extremely serious and must be fully and thoroughly investigated. Election judges take an oath to administer elections in accordance with the law, a deliberate failure to do so is unlawful and a betrayal of the public trust. Minnesota’s elections rely on the dedication and public service of 30,000 people and they are required to conduct their work fairly, impartially, and within the letter of the law. The Hubbard County Auditor took prompt and correct action in notifying local authorities of the uncovered discrepancies so they could investigate.”
Before the 2024 presidential election, there were substantial efforts nationwide to safeguard election integrity. The American Tribune recently reported on six individuals facing indictment by an Ohio grand jury for voting illegally. Ohio Attorney General David Yost addressed the matter, maintaining that the “sacred” privilege for American citizens to vote must be protected.
“The right to vote is sacred,” he said. “If you’re not a U.S. citizen, it’s illegal to vote – whether you thought you were allowed to or not – you will be held accountable.” He continued, “Irregularities like this are rare, and this is a small number of cases,” Yost added. “We should all be confident in the upcoming election, knowing that the laws are being enforced and will continue to be enforced.”
State Secretary Frank LaRose had also made similar comments about protecting Ohio’s elections. “I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country do not vote in our elections. We’ve so far identified 597 individuals who’ve registered to vote in Ohio despite not being citizens of the United States, as our state constitution requires,” LaRose said. “The evidence includes 138 individuals who appear to have cast a ballot in an Ohio election during the time state and federal records show they lacked citizenship status. The law requires me to refer these individuals to the attorney general, and that’s what we’re doing today,” he continued.
LaRose further illustrated his commitment to his duties. “I swore an oath to uphold the constitution of our state, and that document clearly states that only United States citizens can participate in Ohio elections. That means I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country aren’t voting. If or when they do become citizens, I’ll be the first one to congratulate them and welcome them to the franchise, but until then the law requires us to remove ineligible registrations to prevent illegal voting,” he said.
Watch House Speaker Mike Johnson outline the importance of preventing illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections below:
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