A group of Sherburne County residents are calling for additional security at early polling locations after reports of problems that occurred in 2024. However, their request appears to be going nowhere.
Last month, a group of concerned citizens, dubbed the Sherburne Community Action Team, met with Sherburne County Auditor Lorraine Rupp to discuss the need for a sergeant-at-arms to be posted at early voting locations in the county.
“The urgency of this initiative became clear after viewing the deeply concerning activities occurring within Sherburne County polling places during the 2024 election. These incidents were thoroughly investigated by local law enforcement, providing us with a fuller understanding of both the seriousness and the scope of this problem,” said Gary Tonsager, a member of the new group.
According to a press release from the group, Rupp has the authority to decide whether a sergeant-at-arms is needed but did not feel the extra security was necessary.
The concerned citizens previously asked Sherburne County Commissioners to place a sergeant-at-arms at the early polling location in county auditor’s office. However, one commissioner said only the auditor has the authority to make that happen.
When the Sherburne Community Action Team addressed the county commission, they described a chaotic scene that reportedly occurred at the county auditor’s office during the 2024 election period.
According to one member of the group, one person double-voted and a pattern emerged of translators and assistants bringing in “large groups of voters, often five to 10 or more at a time” at the county auditor’s voting location.
“Election staff described the scene as overwhelming with people lingering, applications being handled repeatedly by one individual, and the normal flow of business disrupted,” one Sherburne Community Action Team member said. “This was not an isolated mistake.”
Another member said “staff recounted large groups arriving daily, sometimes multiple times a day. Translators were assisting voters with applications and ballots, but workers observed instances where voters appeared confused about the oath they were signing.”
In their comments, members of the Sherburne Community Action Team referenced a Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office report which was produced during an investigation into double-voting. The report contained interviews with county elections staff.
Most of the report focused on the actions of Tajir Rage who reportedly assists others with voting. Rage is the husband of St. Cloud City Council Member Hudda Ibrahim. Ibrahim was a candidate for city council during the 2024 election.
While the alleged double-voting was not done by Rage, he was ultimately charged with giving a fake name to law enforcement and driving without a valid driver’s license. He pleaded guilty to driving without a valid driver’s license.
Meanwhile, charges for the alleged double-voting were never brought by the Sherburne County Attorney’s Office. The sheriff’s report notes that Rupp’s office was the agency that alerted law enforcement to the alleged double-voting and assisted in the investigation.
Sherburne County Administrator Bruce Messelt told Alpha News that the county “respectfully disagrees with the assertions and conclusions reached by this group of concerned citizens.”
“The many and varied duties of Sergeant-At-Arms are already assigned to and carried out by several County employees working under election administration, including that of maintaining peace and order at election sites for all periods of early and day-of voting,” he said.
“It would be both an overreaction and poor use of taxpayer money to hire full-time Sergeant-At-Arms at all election sites solely to address one past, isolated, incident that did not rise to the level of disorder or disruption of voting privileges and rights, let alone any violation of state law, asserted by this group of concerned citizens,” Messelt added.
He also said the Sherburne Community Action Team is “directly affiliated” with a current candidate for county auditor, an apparent reference to Michael Tonsager, who is running against Brenda Davis for the position.
“As such, the assertions made must be evaluated within the context of campaign hyperbole and clear conflict of interest,” Messelt argued.
The early voting period for Minnesota’s Aug. 11 primary election began on June 26 and will run until August 10.
Rachael Van Rossum
Rachael Van Rossum is a journalist and author who studies political science in the Twin Cities. She previously interned with the Illinois House of Representatives and recently published her debut fantasy novel "The Hellburner of Sovi." Rachael is passionate about telling compelling stories and bringing to life the voices of political figures, athletes, and members of her community through engaging writing. She is the Alpha News journalism fellow for the summer of 2026.
