A postcard that came under fire from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is not a violation of Montana’s code of ethics or other campaign laws, Commissioner of Political Practices Chris Gallus said Friday in response to a complaint.

In a letter rejecting the complaint, Gallus said the mailing could be viewed as partisan but that doesn’t mean it creates a violation under his jurisdiction.

Last week, a Harlowton voter filed a complaint alleging the Secretary of State’s Office should not have used taxpayer dollars to pay for the postcard, which said “only citizens should be allowed to vote.”

The Secretary of State’s Office has not responded to a question about the cost of the postcard or how many Montanans received it. Montana has nearly 785,000 registered voters.

The postcard announced a partnership with the federal government to “strengthen election security” and featured a picture of Secretary Christi Jacobsen and President Donald Trump.

The complaint said the postcard pushed a false narrative that “elections are rigged” and “someone other than citizens” are voting.

However, Gallus said the complaint does not clearly allege any violation of statute over which he has jurisdiction. He also said elected officials have a responsibility to communicate with citizens, and voters elected the Secretary of State based in part on her political leanings.

“Expecting that all communication following an election would be devoid of a political bent so as to avoid any criticism or open debate is unreasonable and impracticable,” Gallus wrote in the letter.

Gallus said he wanted to address the complaint in detail because his office has received numerous inquiries about the postcard in relation to “the use of government funds or resources.”

“Montana’s elected officials routinely provide communications to Montana citizens which under a certain lens may appear to be political,” Gallus wrote. “Montana laws do prohibit the use of public resources for political purposes.”

But he said he and staff in his office reviewed the mailer, and it does not appear to violate any provision of the Montana Code of Ethics or any campaign regulation because it “does not have a political purpose” as defined by law.

In making that determination, he said, he looks for words that solicit support or opposition to any political committee; nomination or election of a person to public office; or passage of a ballot issue. That means language such as “vote,” “oppose,” “support,” “elect,” “defeat,” or “reject.”

Gallus said his office also looks at whether material depicts a clearly identified candidate, party or ballot issue “in a manner that is susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as a call for the nomination, election or defeat” of the candidate or issue.

Gallus said it is a high bar, and the postcard doesn’t meet the threshold. He said neither Jacobsen or Trump are currently running for office, and the mailing doesn’t include any express words of support.

“Public officials have associated duties, which include communicating with constituents,” Gallus wrote. “For Montana’s Secretary of State, this means communicating with all voters regarding elections, voting and the SOS positions on citizen only voting, which she appears to be doing here.”

In a subsequent news release, the Secretary of State’s Office said it had identified 23 potential non-citizens who had voted. A spokesperson did not answer questions about when they most recently voted, what counties they had voted in, or what the next steps would be.

Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman said earlier the 23 potential non-citizens indicated the current system is working well; it represented 29-one-thousandths of 1 percent of voters.

Seaman also said it is important to address those findings as soon as possible. He pointed to a recent tied vote in Missoula County where one vote would have made a difference. (In that case, a council race, the Missoula City Council made the appointment.)

To vote in Montana, people need to be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old before the election, and a Montana resident for at least 30 days before the next election.

Jacobsen mailer question_Beley response letter (1)

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Gene Hackman’s sprawling Santa Fe estate, where he, his wife and a pet dog were found dead nearly a year ago, has been listed for $6.25 million.

The 95-year-old French Connection star and his wife of 34 years, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, had lived at the 13,000-square-foot, gated property for decades before their bodies were discovered there by a maintenance worker in February 2025.

In police video footage of the couple’s home, taken during an initial walk-through, it appeared to be in complete disarray, strewn with loose items and food. Authorities also found dead rats, rat feces and nests throughout the estate, making their home a potential breeding ground for hantavirus, the rare rodent-borne disease that killed Arakawa, 65. It was ruled that Hackman had survived a week on his own, potentially unaware of his wife’s death, before dying from heart disease complicated by Alzheimer’s.

The 6-bed, 10-bath compound has since been cleared of the couple’s personal effects and professionally staged, the listing agents, Tara S. Earley and Ricky Allen of Sotheby’s International Realty, told The Wall Street Journal.

Typically, a home associated with such a notable actor would come with a celebrity premium; however, Earley noted that “we just priced it based on what we felt was the fair market value.”

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“There will be some buyers that are just adverse to purchasing a property where a death has occurred,” she said.

“There are other buyers for whom that doesn’t matter. We are selling the property on its virtues and all of the positives.”

According to the listing, the 53-acre compound consists of multiple distinct structures, each made of glass, stone, and steel.

The custom three-bedroom main residence “showcases the signature style of Boniface, with flowing spaces that blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living, highlighting stunning, expansive views from the Jemez Mountains all the way to Colorado.” It boasts a large open concept kitchen, a grand living room and a large dining area, while the primary suite features a sitting area and an attached office, which offers separate closets and spa-like baths.

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Special features include a library, gym, game room, media room, wine cellar, a secluded putting green, lap pool and hot tub.

Separate from the main residence are a three-bedroom guest house and a studio space, added in 1997, Earley said.

Hackman and Arakawa originally purchased the property in the 1990s and significantly reconstructed it, building the primary residence in 1997.

To prevent people from viewing the property solely out of morbid curiosity, the agents have said that all interested buyers will need to show proof of funds before any showings.