Governor "just joking" about vote fraud
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September 12, 2008
In a speech this summer Governor Brian Schweitzer proudly proclaimed that tribal police had forced election observers out of American Indian polling places, which generally lean Democratic. Yet there has been controversy surrounding at least one Big Horn County poll observer who signed an affidavit saying he was asked to leave a Crow Reservation polling place on election night 2006.[1] The Governor has said he was "just joking."
Terry Coddens
On election night in November 2006, Terry Coddens was working as a poll observer at the Crow Agency polling place. After the polls had closed, but before votes were counted, Coddens said an election judge asked him to leave. State law holds that observers must be able to watch the counting and recording of votes. Coddens was also concerned that ballot boxes were not secured with locks.[1]
Taken to court
In 2007, Codden's affidavit became part of a federal lawsuit filed by the Citizen's Equal Rights Alliance, which alleged voter fraud and discrimination by Crow tribal members in the 2006 election. In November 2007, U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull dismissed the case, stating that the allegations did not constitute broad discrimination.
Attorney General refuses to investigate
Republican Secretary of State Brad Johnson requested Democratic Attorney General Mike McGrath begin an investigation into the matter. McGrath refused, saying the request had "no allegation supported by fact."[1] In response, Chairman of the Montana Republican Party, Erik Iverson, released a statement saying, "Without so much as lifting a finger in an effort to ascertain the facts, (McGrath) has decided not to investigate fellow Democrat Brian Schweitzer.” “This is the sort of good old boy cronyism and politics as usual that folks all across Montana and America are rightly fed up with.”
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