Election Judge in Hubbard Co. Charged with Letting Unregistered People Vote

A man who served as a head election judge in a Minnesota township has been charged with two felony counts for allegedly letting 11 people vote without being registered.

Officials began investigating after Hubbard County Auditor Kay Rave could not find any completed registration forms in materials returned by the head election judge in the Badoura Township precinct, which is just east of Park Rapids. According to the charges, that judge was 64-year-old Timothy Michael Scouton of Nevis.

According to the complaint, another election judge told an investigator from the county Sheriff’s Office that Scouton directed them not to use the registration forms, while another said Scouton told them that new voters needed only to sign the back of a book.

The complaint said the investigator then met with Scouton at the Sheriff’s Office. He was advised of his rights but declined to make a statement, and was then put under arrest. The complaint did not give a potential motive.

Scouton made his initial court appearance Friday and was released pending his next hearing January 6th. The charges carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.