GREAT FALLS — The Cascade County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office are investigating potentially fraudulent petition signatures tied to the campaigns of two Independent congressional campaigns.
About 810 suspicious signatures were submitted to the Elections Office before the filing deadline — but none were counted toward ballot qualification for either U.S. Senate hopeful Seth Bodnar or Eastern District Congressional candidate Dr. Michael Eienhauer.
In a press release, the county says both campaigns have cooperated fully and are not suspected of wrongdoing.
Investigators say they can't release many details right now to avoid tipping off potential suspects or compromising evidence.
County Attorney Josh Racki says, quote, "Public confidence in the election process depends on transparency, but it also depends on a careful investigation that is not compromised by premature disclosure." Racki goes on to say, “We understand why the public wants more information. We have released the facts we can confirm without jeopardizing evidence or alerting potential suspects, and we will continue providing updates as the investigation allows.”
The investigation is expected to take several weeks. Officials plan to release another update sometime next week.
