Seth Ratliff
UPDATED: September 19
ISLAND PARK, Idaho (KIFI) —The investigation into voter fraud allegations in Island Park has grown, with new court documents confirming a total of 11 property owners have now been charged with felony illegal voting and perjury. The arrests have ignited a heated debate among residents, with a vocal online community calling the charges politically motivated.
On Wednesday, Local News 8 spoke with former Island Park Mayor Laurie Augustin, following the initial court appearance of Teara Galbraith, one of the 11 accused. Augustin, who served as mayor from 2000 to 2003, advocated for the individuals arrested.
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“I do not believe that anyone on either side of the issue, either for the district or against it, I do not believe those people registered with the intent to defraud anything,” she told reporters.
Background
The arrests are directly tied to the May 2023 election on the proposed Island Park Auditorium District. The measure, which failed by nine votes, would have imposed a 5% lodging tax on short-term rentals to fund a new community center.
Augustin asserts that the controversial community center proposal created animosity “right away,” citing a screenshot from a Facebook group titled “Involved property owners of Island Park who only agree with how we think.” The group’s “About” page states, “You will be kicked if you don’t like our ideas.” However, many Island Park residents argue that the group in question was intended to be satirical.
According to Augustin, the group behind the initiative would not hold public meetings and “would not meet with the lodging industry they wanted to tax.” Augustin claims that while the public was led to believe visitors would fund the project, the tax liability would actually fall on property owners.
However, other Island Park homeowners have pushed back on these claims. They assert that presentations were indeed made, and many property owners with short-term rentals were informed about the plan.
Augustin also claims that the former mayor, Mike Bogden, called for people who disagreed with the proposal to be “shunned.” Local News 8 is working to verify the now-deleted post; however, a review of the full text from the 2023 City of Island Park Facebook post shows a different context. To his credit, Bogden’s message reads as a call for unity in response to alleged “nasty/hostile postings and even some threats.” He urged residents to “reject this cultural poison” and “stand up for all of our fellow residents” regardless of their stance on the proposal.
Legal Argument
Like family members of the accused, Augustin points to Idaho Title 34, which governs voter qualifications and registration. The law outlines a specific process for challenging a voter’s registration, including a written inquiry mailed to the challenged elector and a hearing where the individual can present evidence of their qualifications. Augustin argues that Fremont County authorities should have followed this procedure rather than pursuing felony charges. “It seems that the step of the city or the county clerk was skipped,” she said.
Augustin claims both sides were encouraged to register to vote, and clarifies she doesn’t condone voter fraud. However, she questions why only certain voter names were challenged. “The people charged are those who were vocal against the proposal,” Augustin said. “I could see others that should have also been challenged.”
Due to state and federal law, voting records are private, making it impossible to verify how the accused or other Island Park Community members voted. In a previous interview with Local News 8, current Island Park Mayor Bruce Ard clarified the city’s role after online commenters accused the arrests of being a political attack. Ard asserts that neither he, the city council, nor the potential members of the auditorium district board were involved in the arrests. 34 people registered to vote on the day of the election, Island Park Mayor Ard suggested this unusual spike could have been the “red flag that alerted officials.”
RELATED: Island Park Mayor denies city involvement in investigation
According to court documents, the Fremont County Clerk’s office did provide detectives with a list of challenged voters on May 2, 2024.
RELATED: FBI’s early involvement confirmed in court docs
Furthermore, state and federal laws are clear that a person’s legal voting address is their permanent residence, often linked to where they file income taxes. Court documents reveal that several of the accused individuals hold driver’s licenses and have filed taxes for primary residences in other cities in Idaho, and in some cases, other states, while voting in Island Park.
When asked if the 11 accused were aware of these statutes, former mayor Augustin claimed is was not made clear on any of the voter registration posters or on vote.gov. “As far as primary residence address, where your taxes have been filed, those types of things. That wasn’t part of the requirement on the list that when I walk up and say, I want to register, here’s my driver’s license,” said Augustin.
In 2023, Governor Brad Little signed into law Idaho House Bill 340, clarifying Idaho Title 34 and requiring all voters to “show proof of identity, and show proof of residence,” using a state-issued driver’s license or ID, according to the bill’s statement of purpose. While the bill went into effect after the May 2023 election, the core legal definition of residency remains in place.
Preliminary hearings for four of the eleven individuals arrested have been scheduled for September 24, 2025. Local News 8 will continue to follow this case and provide updates as the court proceedings continue.
All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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