Video of an anti-partisan figure at the ballot box in Montana raises concerns about “tampering” among election administrators

A person affiliated with the Democratic Party was cited by an election official for “tampering” after surveillance footage caught him touching a ballot box, the Montana Secretary of State’s office told Fox News Digital.

According to an email shared with Fox News Digital, Crystal Cole, Glacier County’s election administrator, shared her concerns with the Montana Secretary of State’s Elections Division on Sunday about what she believed was possible “tampering” with a ballot box.

Cole told the secretary of state that she called the person shown in the video footage, who told her he had been sent “to see how secure the box was.” But Cole complained to the state that the “MT Dem Party” didn’t notify the election office…they would send someone to the ballot box to check how secure it was, making it look on camera like he was taming it [sic] with the box.

The secretary of state’s office identified the person in the footage as Laszlo Gendler, who was employed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) this cycle, according to a Federal Election Commission review of payouts.

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“Election observers are instructed not to touch the ballot boxes. This person was trying to ensure a new ballot box was attached to the wall. Neither the ballot box nor the ballot papers were affected,” David Bergstein, DSCC spokesman, told Fox News Digital. “Their actions were not consistent with our procedures and, out of an abundance of caution, they will not undertake this work in the future.”

The Secretary of State’s Office told Fox News Digital that it reported the incident to the Glacier County Sheriff. Gendler could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows the person identified as Gendler approaching the ballot box in Glacier County, Montana. Gendler then places both hands on the ballot box, steps back for a few seconds before making contact with the ballot box a second time.

The incident occurred in the state that is home to one of the most important Senate races of the 2024 cycle, pitting Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., against former Republican Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy.

Glacier County’s ballot box is in Montana’s 1st Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke is seeking re-election against Democratic opponent Monica Tranel.

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The Montana Democratic Party told Fox News Digital it had “no comment” on the pending matter.