Officials began investigating after Hubbard County Auditor Kay Rave could not find any completed voter registration forms among the ballots and other materials returned by Timothy Michael Scouton, 64, of Nevis, who had been head election judge in the Badoura Township precinct, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.

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Another election judge told an investigator from the county sheriff’s office that Scouton directed them not to use the registration forms, the complaint said, while another said Scouton told them that new voters needed only to sign the back of a book.

The complaint said the investigator then met with Scouton at the sheriff’s office. He was advised of his rights but declined to make a statement, and was then put under arrest, the complaint said. The complaint did not give a potential motive.

Scouton made his initial court appearance Friday and was released pending his next hearing Jan. 6. He did not immediately return a call seeking comment Saturday, and his attorney declined to comment on the case.

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The office of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon called the allegations “extremely serious” and said they must be thoroughly investigated.

“Election judges take an oath to administer elections in accordance with the law, a deliberate failure to do so is unlawful and a betrayal of the public trust,” the office said in a statement.

The charges carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Badoura Township is just east of Park Rapids, or about 160 miles (257 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis.