JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com/KFGO/ND Monitor) – An election judge in Stutsman County is under investigation for failing to initial multiple ballots given to voters during North Dakota’s primary election on June 11, according to state and county officials.
Secretary of State Michael Howe said a complaint under review involves potential violations of the poll worker’s oath of office and the election worker code of conduct.
Stutsman County Auditor Jessica Alonge reported three instances of the election judge failing to initial ballots as required by law. Alonge said she also observed one instance herself and warned the judge that she would be relieved of her duties if she forgot to initial a ballot a fifth time.
Howe emphasized the importance of initialing every ballot by an election judge. However, he noted that if a ballot without initials is inserted into a vote tabulator, the vote would still count, except in the case of a recount.
According to a complaint written by Alonge, the election judge in some cases approached voters and handled the ballots after they had been marked by voters. Additionally, an election observer reported that the judge claimed at the Stutsman County Vote Center that election machines could be hacked because they are connected to the internet, despite the vote tabulator machines not being connected to the internet.
The judge also opened her cellphone to text messages that falsely claimed U.S. House candidate Julie Fedorchak had withdrawn from the race, the observer said. The Fedorchak campaign has filed complaints about the text messages with the Federal Election Commission and other agencies.
Alonge also received a report that the same election judge wore a pin for U.S. House candidate Rick Becker on her purse at the polling place, violating rules against displaying candidate signage at polling locations. Another election worker reported that the judge asked him about his religious and political views while they were working the election.
The information was reported to the Stutsman County sheriff, who forwarded it to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The complaint indicates that the election judge attended poll worker training on June 6 and signed the county’s code of conduct and an oath of office on June 11. The code of conduct prohibits expressing personal political opinions to other election workers or voters and emphasizes stopping the spread of misinformation. The oath of office commits election judges to preventing fraud, deceit, and abuse.
In a letter, Howe directed Alonge to work with the BCI and the Stutsman County state’s attorney to investigate the matter.
Alonge expressed frustration with the situation, noting the difficulty in finding poll workers for each precinct.
The county had a similar issue with the same election worker during the 2022 election when ballots were discovered without the required initials. That year, the election judge demanded that the vote-counting machine be opened because of the forgotten initials, which was not done as it would have violated state law.
Howe said his office was not aware of a complaint about the same worker from 2022.
The election judge’s behavior was not discussed Monday as the Stutsman County Canvassing Board met to review absentee ballots. The State Canvassing Board is set to meet Wednesday to certify the election results.