The video does not show any ballot tampering in Glacier County, Montana

Ballot drop boxes came under scrutiny during the 2020 presidential election, and as Election Day approaches, claims about ballot drop boxes have resurfaced.

‘Montana Dem agent caught tampering with ballot box’ head shared on October 23 on Facebook from conservative news website The Daily Wire, read.

This post has been flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation in the News Feed. (Read more about our collaboration with Metaowner of Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

A ballot incident in Glacier County, Montana was investigated, but county officials found no tampering had occurred.

The Facebook post contains a link to an Oct. 23 article in the Daily Wire stating that a “Democratic operative” named Laszlo Gendler was videotaped trying to rip a ballot box off the wall.

In the video, Gendler, a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee colleague, appears to draw a ballot box in Browning, Montana, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

A spokesperson for the Montana Secretary of State confirmed that the person in the video was Gendler and said the suspect’s “name and information had been turned over to Glacier County law enforcement.” The spokesperson forwarded an email to PolitiFact from Crystal Cole, Glacier County’s elections administrator, saying Laslo told her he was sent to check on the security of the ballot box. Cole’s email stated that the Montana Democratic Party had not informed the elections office that they would be sending someone to check the ballot box.

Glacier County Attorney Terryl Matt said in an emailed statement to PolitiFact: “After reviewing the evidence, including the footage, we have determined that the matter is unsubstantiated. The conduct captured in the video does not constitute legitimate attempt to tamper with the ballot box or the election process.”

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee removed Gendler from his position as a precaution. Gendler was released from questioning and not charged with any crimes, news station KRTV in Great Falls, Mont., reported.

We assess as untrue the claim that a Democratic operative from Montana was caught tampering with a ballot box.