GLACIER COUNTY — Election Day in America is less than two weeks away — tensions between Republicans and Democrats are at a fever pitch, and Montana is home to one of the most critical U.S. Senate races in the country, pitting Tim Sheehy against Jon Tester.
It's the perfect storm for ballot box controversy.
On Wednesday afternoon, news broke across the country of a video of a person appearing to tug at a ballot box in Browning.
The ballot box, located at the Glacier County Satellite Office in Browning on the Blackfeet Reservation, is one of two boxes in the county.
The person in the video has been identified as Laszlo Gendler, an employee of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
In the video, Gendler can be seen stepping toward the box and tugging on it. He then steps back and appears to fire off a text before snapping a photo of the box.
Gendler then pulls on the ballot box a couple more times before leaving the scene.
The video was seen by Glacier County Elections administrator Crystal Cole, who forwarded it to Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen.
Because of his association with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Republicans were quick to accuse Gendler of election tampering.
Jacobsen released the following statement:
'Footage has emerged of a D.C. Democratic staffer tampering with a ballot drop box in Glacier County. This isn’t speculation - it is on camera…we are currently investigating this matter with the help of law enforcement and will continue to observe the actions of the Democratic Party of Montana under close watch."
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Gendler was subsequently brought in for questioning by the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.
Glacier County Undersheriff Tom Seifert told MTN that the investigation was completed promptly and that all circumstantial evidence was unfounded.
No charges were pressed and Gendler was released.
“After a review of the evidence, including the footage, we have determined that the issue is unsubstantiated. The behavior captured in the video does not constitute a legitimate attempt to tamper with the ballot box or the electoral process," Glacier County Attorney Terryl Matt said. "Glacier County takes all potential instances of election tampering seriously and investigate them to ensure the integrity of our democratic process.”
A spokesperson for the DSCC, Gendler’s employer, said, “Poll observers are not instructed to touch ballot boxes…Gendler was attempting to ensure a new ballot box was secured to the wall.”
Cole, the County Elections administrator, was initially suspicious of the actions in the video because she claims her office was not contacted by the Montana Democratic Party that they would be sending someone to check the security of the box.
In an abundance of caution, the DSCC has relieved Gendler of his services.
Charges for interfering in elections at polling sites include hefty fines and up to five years in prison.
