A mass-mailed postcard from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen highlights efforts by conservative Republicans to tackle illegal voting in Montana’s approaching midterm elections. Election experts claim that non-citizen voting isn’t a prevalent issue in Montana. A Democrat criticizes the postcard as political fearmongering with dubious funding origins.
The Secretary of State’s Office did not reply to inquiries from Montana Free Press, including how many homes received the postcard, which lists Jacobsen’s post office box for returns. The mailer uses the same postage permit number as those listed on state templates. In response, Richie Melby, Jacobsen’s spokesperson, shared content from a press release on new election security measures.
The blue postcard, featuring a photo of Jacobsen and President Trump, declares, “ONLY CITIZENS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE.” It announces an election security program to verify voter citizenship status in Montana. The footer states, under Jacobsen’s leadership, non-citizen voting won’t be tolerated.
Montana law already bans non-citizens from voting, according to state law.
Jeff Mangan, former state Commissioner of Political Practices, confirmed that non-citizen voting isn’t a current issue in Montana. Mangan’s group found no evidence of such voting in the 2024 elections or 2025 local elections.
Sarah Cooper from The Carter Center described non-citizen voting as rare in the US, with reviews finding few non-citizens registered to vote. The Secretary of State’s Office reported 23 potential non-citizens flagged by the SAVE system, a federal tool, out of 784,949 registered voters, making up about 0.003%.
While assessing federal citizenship data, Montana’s Secretary of State engaged in a murky information exchange with the federal government. Questions about the SAVE program and data sharing remain unanswered.
Rep. Kelly Kortum, D-Bozeman, called the postcard “garbage rhetoric.” He voiced concerns about who funded the mailer, which elections director Austin James couldn’t clarify. James mentioned the 23 flagged voters had an “uncomfortable amount of elections” participation.
COMPLAINT FILED OVER THE POSTCARD
Documents funded by public money must disclose costs, per Montana law. Jacobsen’s postcard lacks this information, and the funding source is unconfirmed. Neither Jacobsen’s office nor the state Department of Administration’s Print and Mail division responded to requests for this information before publication.
Harlowton resident Susan Beley filed a complaint with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, alleging the misuse of state funds to support false claims about non-citizen voting. Commissioner Chris Gallus plans to decide soon whether to investigate the complaint.
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