Viewpoint: Christi Jacobsen isn’t ready for higher office
Paul Van Valkenburg
Tony Hudson recently argued in these pages that Christi Jacobsen “isn’t a political insider.” This is a curious claim about someone who has worked in the Secretary of State’s office since 2016, served as deputy Secretary of State under Corey Stapleton, and has held elected office since 2021. That’s a decade in one office. But let’s set aside the branding and look at her actual record.
Jacobsen spent $197,000 of taxpayer money to mail every registered voter a postcard featuring her photo with Donald Trump. The mailer announced a “partnership” on election security using the SAVE tool — a program that’s been federal law since 1986. Three months later, she announced for Congress using the same photo. Trump endorsed her opponent the same day.
When the legislature’s oversight committee asked her to explain the mailer’s cost and funding, she didn’t show up. She sent a memo that didn’t answer their questions. Legislators are now discussing subpoena power.
Then there’s the voter data. Jacobsen handed over personal information on 785,000 Montanans — including partial Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers — to the federal Department of Justice. She did this without legislative authorization, without notifying voters, and without establishing the “compelling state interest” required by Montana’s constitution.
Her defense? The feds found 23 non-citizens on the voter rolls who cast approximately 150 ballots. She hasn’t said which elections, which races, or whether a single outcome was affected. Because none were.
I don’t know what’s worse: 23 people voting illegally, or violating the state constitution and the privacy of 785,000 Montanans so you can get invited to go bowling at the White House.
People didn’t vote for Christi Jacobsen because of who she is. They voted for a Republican Secretary of State because they wanted election security. Six years later, she’s given away their private information, spent their money on self-promotion, and dodged the legislators trying to hold her accountable.
That’s not a record that deserves a promotion. That’s a record that deserves scrutiny.