Vickie A.

Larsen
P. O. Box 137
506 Lincoln Drive
Alcester, SD 57001-0137
605-934-2338
vickielarsen98@gmail.com
www.avoicefromthegallery.com
July 23, 2019

Complaint Information

Vickie A. Larsen-Complainant
506 Lincoln Drive
P. O. Box 137
Alcester, SD 57001-0137
Union County
605-934-2338
vickielarsen98@gmail.com

Patricia R. Jurrens-Violator
410 Hyden Drive
P. O. Box 221
Union county
Alcester, SD 57001
605-934-2851 Alcester City Finance Office
alcestercityfo@alliancecom.net
Title: Alcester Finance Officer/Supervising Election Official in charge of April 9,
2019, election.

Facts

⇒April 4, 2016, Vickie A. Larsen, candidate for Ward III Council seat
informs Alcester City Council, Mayor Tom Glas and Finance Officer Pat
Jurrens of error in Alcester Ward III boundaries, specifically the Park Street
Ward III boundary.
⇒Mayor Glas, Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens and Alcester City Council
ignore the error in boundaries in favor of an uncertified map.

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 ⇒ Friday, April 8, 2016, Vickie Larsen presents the Ward III boundary error
to the Union County Auditor who after a consultation with the Union
County State's Attorney and SD Secretary of State confirms the Park Street
Boundary is what the boundary language states and not the uncertified
map placement of the Park Street Ward III boundary.
⇒ 2016 election, Sixteen (16) ballots are nullified because they were left
on top of the locked ballot box, unsecured in the office of Finance Officer
Pat Jurrens. The sixteen (16) ballots were deemed void due to the
malfeasance and nonfeasance of Alcester City Finance Officer Patricia
Jurrens.
⇒Prior to 2019 election Alcester City Councilman Lance Johnson
vandalizes campaign signs and posters of mayoral candidate Michael
Bucholz and is subsequently interviewed by Union County State's
Attorney Jerry Miller.
⇒Municipal Mayoral Election: April 9, 2019
⇒Candidates:
Incumbent Mayor Thomas F. Glas and
Michael Bucholz
⇒Polling place: Alcester City Auditorium
⇒Elections workers:
Mrs. Marge Eilers,
Mrs. Darlene Crawford,
Mrs. Donna Anderson and
Mrs. Karen Huenink.
⇒Election outcome:
Incumbent Thomas Glas---144 votes
Michael Bucholz------------104 Votes
Margin of votes = 16% of total
⇒Canvass of Votes meeting: April 15, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
⇒Council present at April 15, 2019, canvass meeting:
Alcester City Mayor Thomas Glas
Alcester City Councilwoman Darla Reppe
Alcester City Councilwoman Linda Talbott
Alcester City Councilwoman Melissa Kay
Alcester City Councilman David Larsen
Alcester City Councilman Dan Haeder
Alcester City Councilman Lance Johnson
Alcester Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens
Alcester City Attorney Sam Nelson
LARSEN COMPLAINT 07/24/2019
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 ⇒Ballot Box is present, on Council Table in front of Mayor Tom Glas.
⇒Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens handed ballot box key to Councilman Dan
Haeder.
⇒Around 6:10 p.m. Alcester City Councilman Dan Haeder opens the ballot
box at the direction of Alcester City Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens in front
of the entire council, Alcester City Attorney Sam Nelson and the gallery
including Vickie A. Larsen videotaping the meeting for her blog
(www.avoicefromthegallery).

https://bit.ly/2YmBsrc

⇒No-one questioned the opening and emptying of the ballot box.

⇒Ballots and poll books are removed from the opened ballot box and
packets of voted ballots are handed to council members who page through
the voted ballots.
⇒The poll books are opened and compared line by line with the register
book by other council members.
⇒At approximately 6:34 p.m. Alcester City Councilman Lance Johnson
leaves council meeting.
⇒Poll books do not match, Alcester City Councilwoman Darla Reppe's
name appears in one book but not the other.
⇒Sometime after 6:34 p.m. Incumbent Mayor Tom Glas is declared the
winner of the April 9, 2019, election through motion by Councilwoman
Melissa Kay, second coming from Councilwoman Linda Talbott, with no
discussion, the remaining council members vote an unanimous five (5) aye
votes declaring Glas the winner.
⇒Absentee Ballot Applications handled by Finance Office employee Wanda
Halverson.

ARGUMENT

Of the most egregious acts of malfeasance and non-feasance Alcester

Finance Office Patricia Jurrens has committed, is placing the ballot box on
the council table for the canvass of ballots, allowing the participation of
Councilman Lance Johnson in the canvass meeting considering his theft of
Mr. Michael Bucholz campaign signs and posters, culminating in an ultimate
act of election violation of opening the locked ballot box at canvass,
LARSEN COMPLAINT 07/24/2019
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 allowing council members to handle and remove the voted ballots from the
ballot box. She knew better! Unfortunately neither I nor the council knew
the ballot box was NOT allowed in the canvass meeting or unlocked. In fact
from my reading, this action smacks of nullification of election irrespective
of the ballot results.
The issue basic to this complaint is the ballot box presence, illegal
opening of the ballot box and handling of voted ballots in the April 15, 2019,
Alcester City Council Special Meeting Agenda (Exhibit 1)
According to 2019 Election Day Precinct Manual, issued by the
South Dakota Secretary of State, Kea Warne, Director of Elections, page 21,
"...After Closing the Polls, DO NOT open the ballot box. Complete the
recapitulation Sheet. (ARSD 5:02:09:16) If lines 9 and 12 are not the same,
compare voters in the pollbook and the registration list and correct any
mistakes.
Two precinct workers (one of each political party) will transport the ballot
box with the voted ballots to the county auditor's office or other counting
location. The auditor may direct two deputy county auditors to transport the
ballot box to the counting location.
The ballot box must be sealed and kept secure for 60 days (for ballots with
non-Federal races) or 22 months (for ballots with Federal races)unless
there is a recount (SDCL 12-20-31)..."
According to 2019 Municipal Elections Handbook, South Dakota
Municipal League. Chapter 5-After The Election,
5.000 Official Canvass
1. What constitutes an official canvass?
The election returns shall be reported as soon as possible to the finance
officer, and within seven days of the election, the governing body shall
canvass the election returns, declare the result and enter the result on its
journal (SDCL 9-13-24).
Please note that the voter registration list is considered a public record.
A quorum of council needs to be present for the canvass since a majority
vote to approve the canvas needs to be taken and recorded. Do not take the
ballot box to canvass as the governing body does not have the authority to
recount ballots...
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 Alcester City Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens provided the ballot box
in Ballot Canvass in the council room, on the council table, provided the
ballot box key and directed the council to open the ballot box contrary to
statute. In addition Alcester City Attorney Sam Nelson was present when
this happened and offered no protest.
Since the margin between the votes cast for Tom Glas and Michael
Bucholz was greater than 2% of the total votes cast, there was no question of
recount therefore the ballot box was to remain sealed per statute SDCL 9-13-
27.3,
"...If any candidate for the municipal governing body is defeated by a
margin not exceeding two percent of the total votes cast for all candidates
for the office, or by a margin of five votes or less, the candidate may, within
five days after completion of the official canvass, file with the municipal
finance officers a written request for a recount..."

and
since the council is not authorized to re-count the ballots, they should not
open the ballot box nor handle the ballots in any way. The council is not a
recount board according to and as described in SDCL 9-13-27.3,
"... Upon receipt of a recount request, the finance officer shall set the time
and place for the recount. A recount board shall be established consisting of
one person chosen by each candidate declared elected and by each
candidate who is eligible to request a recount. If this board consists of an
even number of persons, one additional recount board member shall be
appointed by the finance officer who shall be mutually agreeable to each
candidate involved in the recount. The person having custody of the ballot
boxes containing the ballots to be recounted shall deliver them to the
recount board. Any question arising on the recount shall be determined by
majority vote of the recount board. The recount shall proceed expeditiously
until completed..."

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 In addition three of the absentee ballot applications (Exhibit C1, Exhibit C2
and Exhibit C3) appear to be in violation of 2019 Municipal Elections
Handbook, Chapter 3, 3.500 Absentee Ballot Process,
"...A finance officer is not authorized in law to go to nursing facilities or care
centers, etc, to help citizens vote absentee. Those individuals need to request an
absentee ballot through the regular process. A finance officer or other city
employee would be able to drop off absentee ballot applications. Only if a voter
puts the finance officer as their authorized messenger would the finance officer be
able to bring ballot to them to vote. We encourage finance officers to not do this
since you are the person in charge of running the election. The administrator at
the facility could be the authorized messenger..."

Exhibit C1, C2 and C3 show no visible notary seal, the Absentee Ballot
Application is filled out by Wanda Halverson, Alcester City Finance Office
Employee as messenger. Applications C1, C2 and C3 BOX 5 appear to have been
X'd by someone other than the applicant. Applications C3 and C2 "Care Center",
Box 3 appears to have been filled in by Wanda Halverson, Alcester City Finance
Office Employee noting the similarity of Ms. Halverson's handwriting at the
bottom of the application.
Wanda Halverson was instructed by Alcester City Finance Officer Patricia
Jurrens to go to the nursing home to collect the ballots on election day prior to 3:00
p.m. I was sitting in the atrium of the Alcester City Auditorium watching the
polling process and over-heard those instructions.
During the April 15, 2019, special meeting, I was video-taping the meeting
which recorded the opening of the ballot box in violation of statute.
Video Link
https://bit.ly/2YmBsrc
While the video sound might be less than perfect, the pictures are definitely
worth more than 1000 words under oath.

LARSEN COMPLAINT 07/24/2019

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 CONCLUSION

Alcester Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens has knowingly violated

election rules, caused voted ballots to be voided, and put election results into
question. She campaigned for incumbent Mayor Tom Glas as Finance
Officer, released city records of ordinance violation in her care to city
organizations to hinder the campaign of Michael Bucholz who was running
against Mayor Glas and knowingly gave the council hands-on access to the
locked ballot box and voted ballots in direct violation of election laws.
Mayor Glas and the city council blindly follow Finance Officer Patricia
Jurrens' lead, trusting she knows her duty and fully competent in legally
carrying out the tasks of her job as Alcester City Finance Officer.
These are the items I can prove. How can we trust the ballot box was
not opened and ballots substituted? We cannot! I was advised just days ago
of the ballot box Not-To-Be-Opened issue by a former finance officer. I
confirmed the information with Christine of the South Dakota Secretary of
State's Office. Christine was not encouraging until I mentioned I have video
of the act. I trusted our city attorney was conversant with the election rules.
After I realized the enormity of the malfeasance, I researched, tracked
statutes and discovered the assault against our fair election.

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 Each day the malfeasance and non-feasance of our Finance Officer
and Mayor is allowed to go unchecked costs us money we can ill-afford,
vital city infrastructure is lost the day, in-your-face violations and
manipulations of state bid process destroys our reputation and our future is
at risk!

_____ _____ _____ ________ _________

Vickie A. Larsen Date

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 LIST OF EXHIBITS

Exhibit A........................................April 15, 2019 Alcester Council Agenda

Exhibit B........................................V. Larsen's notes of April 15, 2019

Exhibit C1.......................................Muller Absentee Ballot Application

Exhibit C2.......................................Johnson Absentee Ballot Application

Exhibit C3.......................................Embrock Absentee Ballot Application

Exhibit D.........................................Published minutes of April 15, 2019

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