HELENA, Mont. – According to the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, two non-citizens were charged and received citations related to election crimes during the November 2021 municipal election. According to county election officials, the Dodson mayoral race in Phillips County was decided by only two votes.

The Secretary of State’s Office referred the matter to the Montana Attorney General’s Office to oversee prosecution. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the subjects pled not guilty at their initial appearance in Justice Court.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, who ran her campaign for Montana Secretary of State with an emphasis on the integrity of elections, applauded law enforcement.

“Thank you to the Attorney General and all law enforcement involved for a job well done. This office is repeatedly reminded that voting violations do not exist because voting crimes are not prosecuted,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “As such, I will work to ensure that election law violations such as this are finally taken seriously and will continue to work to prevent them from happening in the first place.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the subjects were charged and pled not guilty at their initial appearance in Justice Court and reflect the statements from the Phillip’s County Sheriff’s Office.