Man charged with deceptive election practices in Montana false signature investigation
UPDATE: Oct. 28, 9:00 a.m. Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki said in a press conferences that investigators found no evidence that Nathan Ross Harlan ever came into Montana. Racki also said one of the questioned signatures was recognized by an employee’s daughter, who no longer lived in Montana. He said investigators also learned Harlan had done something similar involving a candidate in North Carolina. Racki said Harlan remained at large and that there was a $20,000 warrant out for his arrest. Racki said he did not know whether charges were filed in the North Carolina case. Cascade County Elections Administrator Sandra Slaughter also clarified that election officials were not specifically targeting independent candidates. She said independents were involved because they are the candidates who need signatures to qualify for the ballot. GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The Cascade County Attorney’s Office filed four charges for deceptive election practices against a man who allegedly forged signatures for independent Montana candidates during spring 2026. The office said it charged Nathan Ross Harlan with four misdemeanor counts of “accountability for deceptive election practices" after its investigation found false signatures on packets submitted by Harlan’s company. The company, Sun Belt Strategies, was subcontracted for signature
