County canvass confirms results, flags two in-person voters as noncitizens; audit finds machines accurate

Speaker 1 opened the Wright County canvass meeting at 9 a.m. and the board approved the tentative agenda by voice vote. The meeting’s principal item was the first-tier canvass of city and school election returns from Nov. 4, 2025.

An election official (Speaker 3) led the canvass review and asked board members to sign the covers of the tally books that contain precinct abstracts and machine reports. "This report shows all of the votes, for each precinct per precinct," the election official said, and asked members to sign the title page to attest they reviewed the materials.

During the review, staff reported two in-person voters in Belmont were flagged in the process. "We are in contact with the Beaumont Police Department because we did have two noncitizen voters," the election official said. According to staff, one person had marked the box on the ballot roster indicating they were not a citizen but then signed the voter oath claiming to be a U.S. citizen; the other marked that they were a U.S. citizen and presented a driver's license that later was verified as belonging to a permanent resident. "I was told that, yes, that is a driver's license number to a permanent resident, noncitizen," the election official said.

Board members asked about criminal penalties for noncitizen voting. "Is that a misdemeanor, or is it a felony?" one member asked. The election official and others said the office treats illegal voting by a noncitizen as a felony and discussed fines and jail time. The election official read penalty ranges discussed by staff: "A fine of at least $1,025, but not more than $10,245," and up to five years in prison were mentioned by staff during the meeting.

Staff said they had reported the matter to the Belmont Police Department and would consult the county attorney. Because the county attorney also represents the city of Belmont and one of the flagged voters is a neighbor of the county attorney, staff said the attorney may recuse and the matter could be referred to the attorney general's office. The election official said they would await the Belmont Police Department’s findings before taking further steps.

Separately, staff reported a post-election audit conducted the prior Thursday with bipartisan observers (named in the meeting as Peggy Schluttenhoefer and Shannon Walker) that sampled ballots from rural Eagle Grove and other precincts. "So the audit turned out perfect," the election official said, adding that the audit confirmed the tabulation machines were reading correctly.

The board reviewed rules that apply to write-in candidates and post-canvass procedures: staff said write-in candidates will be contacted after the canvass and that a person offered a seat has 10 days after the canvass to submit a resignation if they decline, otherwise the seat may be declared vacant. Staff also noted limited printer problems on election morning but called overall election-day operations smooth and turnout strong in many precincts, especially Belmont.

With no other business, a member moved to adjourn and the board approved the motion by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will continue to coordinate with the Belmont Police Department and the county attorney’s office and will follow any guidance from the secretary of state's office or the attorney general should the matter be referred.