Minnesota
Second Minnesota election judge faces criminal charges, adding to concerning day at the polls
Two election judges from different parts of the state now face criminal charges for their conduct on Election Day, adding to a list of concerning incidents that occurred when voters went to the polls in Minnesota.
Two months later, state officials are still dealing with the fallout as the nation prepares to swear in the next president.
While there are no allegations of widespread voter fraud or misconduct, problems did surface, including missing ballots, unregistered voters and election judge violations.
“The unintended rippling effect may be feeding into false narratives… that perhaps there’s rampant voting fraud in the state of Minnesota when we all know that’s not the case,” said Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota, a nonpartisan group working to ensure safe, secure and fair elections.
Family matters in Ceylon
5 INVESTIGATES uncovered one incident in the small town of Ceylon, Minn., minutes from the Iowa border.
Mary Muller, the city clerk, was charged with a misdemeanor after serving as head election judge in the same precinct where her husband was on the ballot, a violation of state law.
Terry Muller ran for city council and won the seat.
“Part of this whole situation is election integrity matters,” said John Gibeau, the longtime mayor of Ceylon who lost his reelection bid in November.
5 INVESTIGATES traveled to the remote southwest Minnesota town where Ms. Muller continues to serve as clerk.
“I’m not talking to you,” she said as she gathered her things and started to walk out of city hall. “Get out of my office. Get out of my office.”
As Muller got in her car, she said, “It’s all a f–king joke” before leaving.
“At the end of the day, just the implication that somebody might have done something wrong or made a mistake, it gives the impression that maybe things are not on the up and up,” Gibeau said. “If one person thinks that and then doesn’t vote, that’s a big fail as a democracy.”
High-profile cases
There is no allegation that what happened in Ceylon changed the outcome of the election, but the people who work to ensure fairness say the problems should be a wake-up call.
“It chips away at our democracy,” Belladonna-Carrera said, calling the issues this election day “unusual.”
Case in point: Scott County.
A recount in the extremely close race between incumbent DFL Rep. Brad Tabke and Republican challenger Aaron Paul revealed that 20 ballots disappeared and were likely tossed in the trash.
This week, a judge denied the Republican’s request for a special election, but not before the state House started its session in chaos.
It’s also not the only high-profile Election Day controversy. Days before the election, the State Supreme Court found Hennepin County broke the law in how it picked election judges – something it managed to fix before Election Day.
County clerk faces felonies
Almost 200 miles away, Hubbard County prosecutors charged election judge Tim Scouton with two felonies – saying he allowed 11 people to vote who were not registered.
Charging documents suggest confusion inside the precinct that day over where the voter registration forms were located.
5 INVESTIGATES also made the trip to Hubbard County for a recent Badoura Township meeting, where Scouton continues to serve as clerk.
“Goodbye,” he said as 5 INVESTIGATES approached with a camera and microphone. Scouton left and never returned for the meeting.
Fellow board members said they still felt confident with Scouton serving as clerk, but said they only knew what they read in the news.
“We don’t know what happened. We were totally out of it,” said Theora Goodrich, board supervisor.
Election worker training
Belladonna-Carrera says that while these issues may seem minor, they collectively represent a broader problem.
“I think what this signals is perhaps a need to revisit the training aspect of these folks that are out there,” she said.
The Secretary of State’s office said the training of election judges is the responsibility of the individual counties and cities that hire them. However, the office does provide training guides, manuals, and even videos.
“Our office goes above and beyond what is legally required to ensure localities are supported in training their election judges,” said Cassondra Knudson, spokesperson for the SOS office.
Knudson said it’s extremely rare, but “occasionally errors or intentional violations of election laws do occur,” adding that redundancies in place ensure they’re caught quickly.
Belladonna-Carrera plans to address the issue before the next election cycle.
“I have no doubt that we have safe, secure elections. But I also don’t think that we should sort of sweep it to the side and say, well, it just happens to be in one instance or the other instance,” Belladonna-Carrera said. “All of our voters are owed a level of confidence.”
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman David Špaček (SPAH-chehk) from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Špaček, 22 (2/18/23), owns 19 points (3-16=19), 61 shots and 10 penalty minutes (PIM) in 35 games with Iowa this season, leading the team in assists (T-12th among AHL defensemen) and ranking second in points and shots. The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Columbus, Ohio, recorded 31 points (4-27=31), 31 PIM and 117 shots in 72 games with Iowa during the 2024-25 season, leading the team with 18 power play assists, ranking second in assists, and pacing team defensemen in scoring. For his career, Špaček owns 62 points (10-52=62), 62 PIM and 251 shots in 168 games over three AHL seasons (2023-26).
Špaček will represent Czechia at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic games and has previously represented Czechia at multiple international competitions, including the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded two assists in eight games, and the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he posted five assists in 10 games to help Czechia secure gold. He also helped Czechia to a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Tournament, recording eight points (3-5=8), 11 shots and a plus-7 rating in seven games.
Špaček was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (No. 153 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft and has yet to appear in an NHL game. He will wear sweater No. 82 with the Wild.
Minnesota will host the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.
Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Grand Casino Arena Box Office. Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are also available for purchase. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can contact [email protected] for more information. Single game suite rentals are also available, contact [email protected] for more information.
Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.
Veteran federal prosecutors in Minnesota resign after pressure from Justice Department leaders to investigate the widow of Renee Macklin Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent, raising new questions about political interference.
President Trump takes his economic message on the road, pitching affordability as voters remain frustrated by high prices.
And while gas prices have dipped, rising heating costs, grocery prices, and stubborn inflation show why relief still feels out of reach for many families.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Gigi Douban, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:19) Minnesota Prosecutors Quit
(06:10) Trump in Detroit
(09:52) Inflation Report
Hundreds more ICE agents coming to MN, Noem says
DHS Sec. Kristi Noem says hundreds more ICE agents are coming to Minnesota. They began arriving on Sunday, and more are expected to arrive on Monday. This comes days after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, and comes amid rising tensions as people protest ICE in Minnesota, demanding they leave.
(FOX 9) – Several Minnesota lawmakers are backing an effort signed by more than 50 Democrats in the House of Representatives to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stemming from accusations of obstructing Congress and violating public trust.
Noem impeachment effort
What we know:
A total of 53 House Democrats have co-signed a bill set to be introduced by U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (Illinois).
Tensions have risen in the Twin Cities following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of ICE officer Jonathan Ross. The shooting has sparked protests across the city, including outside the regional ICE headquarters.
In December, the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, bringing more than 100 federal agents into the Twin Cities.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security launched a new 30-day surge, bringing a reported force of 1,500 ICE officers and 600 Homeland Security investigators into the state with an aim at tackling fraud.
According to Noem, the total has since increased to more than 2,000 agents presently operating within the state.
In the months prior to the focus on Minnesota, the Trump administration also sent additional troops to cities such as Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Dig deeper:
The articles of impeachment that are set to be formally introduced on Jan. 14, 2026, will accuse Noem of three counts:
- Obstruction of Congress: Stemming from members of Congress being denied entry to DHS facilities and for withholding congressionally appropriated disaster relief funding.
- Violation of public trust: Allegedly denying ICE detainees due process and violating the First and Fourth amendments.
- Self-dealing: Stemming from reports that Noem awarded $220 million in contracts to a firm run by her spokesperson’s husband.
What they’re saying:
“Secretary Kristi Noem is an incompetent leader, a disgrace to our democracy, and I am impeaching her for obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. Secretary Noem wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area, and now, her rogue ICE agents have unleashed that same destruction in Minneapolis, fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good,” said Rep. Kelly in a statement on her official website. “From Chicago to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Secretary Noem is violating the Constitution while ruining — and ending — lives and separating families. It’s one thing to be incompetent and dangerous, but it’s impeachable to break the rule of law.”
Minnesota Reps. Angie Craig and Betty McCollum also plan to support the impeachment efforts.
“Secretary Noem should be fired. If she is not, I support impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate for her obstruction of Congress and violation of public trust,” said Rep. McCollum in a statement. “This past year, Americans in cities across the United States have felt the chaos and terror of Secretary Noem’s Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Secretary Noem has demonstrated that she is unable to enforce immigration law in a peaceful and ethical manner. Her deployment of unprofessional, poorly trained, masked immigration agents has put our neighbors in danger of physical harm.”
Minnesota’s Democratic lawmakers, along with mayors Jacob Frey and Kaohly Her, along with Gov. Tim Walz, have also been vocal critics of DHS immigration enforcement efforts in the wake of the shooting of Renee Good.
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