Election Integrity

Despite what Christi Jacobsen, Corey Stapleton, and the men dressed in Revolutionary War costumes in front of the county courthouse want you to believe, Montana’s elections are safe and secure. 

Montana’s elections are among the safest in the US and, by extension, the world. Through the work of Montana’s County Government-based clerks and elections deputies, Montana can provide world-class election reporting and security with few instances of fraud.

According to the Heritage Foundation – a conservative think tank – there have been two cases of voter fraud over the past 40 years of Montana elections. The first was a man who submitted his ex-wife’s ballot without her permission in 2011; the second was a man who submitted a voter registration form under the name of “Miguel Raton” (“Mickey Mouse” in Spanish) in 2021. Furthermore, an audit by then-Secretary of State Cory Stapleton in 2020 revealed zero cases of voter fraud.

And yet, current Secretary Christi Jacobsen requested a slate of restrictive voter-access policies from the 2021 Montana legislature. Those bills tried to end same-day voter registration, prohibit the use of student I.D.s for voting purposes, and significantly restrict third-party ballot collection. Then, despite the failures to hold up in court, Jacobsen proceeded to illegally and wrongfully advertise falsehoods, particularly in markets likely to vote against her religious and national political beliefs.

The constitutional right to vote extends to every eligible Montanan – a fact corroborated by the federal district court that ruled Jacobsen's laws “severely burden the right to vote of Montana voters, particularly Native American voters, students, the elderly, and voters with disabilities.”

Jacobsen's continuing efforts to restrict every Montanan’s ability to vote is a disqualifier for the office she holds, plain and simple. She’s since appealed her case to the Montana Supreme Court, spending tens of thousands - soon to be hundreds of thousands - of the public’s tax dollars trying to implement illegal protections to stop a problem that doesn’t exist in Montana.

I am committed to upholding Montana’s excellent election security laws and procedures – fraudulent voting practices have no place in this state. I’m also committed to making sure every eligible Montanan not only has the right to vote but also the ability to do so without enduring undue hardship. And lastly, I’m committed to supporting our county government officials, who are the true front line and defense against voter fraud in Montana.