Minnesota election judge faces felony charges over accepting unregistered votes

A Minnesota election judge is being charged after allegedly accepting people who were not properly registered to vote in the 2024 election.

Timothy Michael Scouton, who served as the head election judge for the Badoura Township Precinct in Hubbard County, Minnesota, is being charged with one count of accepting the vote of an unregistered voter and one count of neglect of duty by an election official, both felonies, according to a report from Fox 9.

Police say they were notified by an election auditor that 11 voters did not complete proper registration forms, yet were allowed to vote despite not being able to complete the forms that are used to authenticate their identity.

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Those votes were allowed despite Scouton reportedly completing his election judge training and head election judge training in July, the report notes.

Authorities spoke with another judge who worked with Scouton on the night of the election, with the judge telling police that Scouton instructed her not to use the proper registration forms. Another judge working with Scouton told police that she was not aware of the proper forms and was instructed by Scouton to have voters sign the back of a book.

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Scouton was arrested on the charges by the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, who said he "declined to provide a statement."

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Secretary of State acknowledged that the charges against Scouton were "very serious."

"These allegations are extremely serious and must be fully and thoroughly investigated," the Secretary of State’s office said in a statement to Fox 9. "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."