The Loon State's elections have a reputation as being squeaky clean, but a reader in the Fairmont area writes to tell us things are not always so Minnesota nice in Martin County.
Indeed, we agree that a felony charge against Rolling Green Township election judge David Bulfer entails "more creepiness than political intrigue."
In the Fairmont Sentinel article Election official facing felony count, Jason Sorensen reports:
David Joseph Bulfer, 62, has been charged with neglect of duty as an election official, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
According to the complaint:
On Aug. 17, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office received a formal, written complaint and statement from a 58-year-old woman concerning an incident that occurred on Aug. 14 while voting at a polling location in Rolling Green Township.
The woman indicated she went to the table to check in with an election judge, who asked for the first three letters of her name. The man then proceeded to pull up her information on his computer and asked if that was her. She confirmed it was.
At that time, another election judge, Bulfer, leaned over between the woman and the other man and stated, “Oh, let’s see, what’s her height, what’s her weight, what’s her bust size?” The woman said she looked at Bulfer as he stood and proceeded to make more inappropriate comments. She then stated firmly to Bulfer, “We don’t talk that way.”
The woman indicated Bulfer then proceeded to hold both his hands up with palms out and wiggle his fingers while talking about the size of his hands and laughing.
The woman proceeded to vote and then left the building. She indicated she told her husband, who was with her at the time, that what Bulfer had done was “clearly sexual harassment” and she was going to report Bulfer.
The woman indicated she spoke with the Martin County Auditor/Treasurer and provided him with information regarding the incident. She advised that she felt humiliated, embarrassed and demeaned. She also indicated her husband stated that night he had received a phone call from Bulfer apologizing to him.
The deputy spoke with the husband, who confirmed the woman’s statements about the incident. The husband indicated they would probably vote at a different place in the future. . . .
Read the rest at the Sentinel.
When the husband says, "they would probably vote at a different place in the future," that would have to be by early absentee ballot by mail or in person at the Martin County Courthouse. A more satisfactory solution, though, is to keep this creep away from the polling place, which a felony conviction might indeed achieve.
Photo: The Martin County Courthouse.
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