Husband of St. Cloud City Council Member Identified in Multi-County Voting Irregularity Probe

(KNSI) — What began as an investigation into a case of double voting in Sherburne County may have uncovered a broader pattern of suspicious voting activity across multiple Minnesota counties, all connected to a 2024 St. Cloud City Council race.

The Discovery

According to the Sherburne County investigative report filed October 21st, 2024, on October 4th, 2024, staff at the Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office in Elk River discovered that two absentee ballot envelopes had been submitted, both in the same name, Hani Farah Gure, a 26-year-old woman from St. Cloud.

Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer Loraine Rupp made the discovery and immediately contacted the Sherburne County Attorney’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office was then asked to investigate. Sergeant Austin Turner was assigned to the case on October 7th, 2024.

According to the incident report, Turner reviewed both absentee envelopes and their applications. Both sets were completed in Gure’s name, listed her address, and used the same phone number. Both had been stamped as accepted on October 4th, 2024.

The report states one set had been witnessed by Election Specialist Carrie Anderson, the other by Accounting Manager Sherlyn Kapsner. The stickers used to label each ballot and application, containing Gure’s identifying information, had both been printed by Elections Manager Kenneth Selser Jr. – a detail that would become significant as the investigation unfolded.

Turner then pulled surveillance video from the Auditor/Treasurer’s Office. Starting around 12:30 p.m. on October 4th, a woman believed to be Gure appeared on camera turning in an absentee ballot application, then returning approximately 30 minutes later to submit a ballot. Because the woman wore full head and body coverings with only her eyes visible, Turner could not confirm her identity from the video alone.

What stood out, Turner wrote, was the repeated presence of a man with shoulder-length black hair, wearing glasses, a sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white shoes. According to the report, this man spoke with the woman while she filled out her first ballot application, then handled both her application and her ballot, and finally sealed her ballot envelope at the counter before it was submitted.

After the first ballot was cast, the woman sat down and used her phone. The same man reappeared, spoke with her again, and she picked up a second absentee ballot application that had been left nearby and began filling it out. The man assisted her again, and she submitted a second ballot.

Turner wrote that he was concerned the man had assisted or directed the woman in casting two ballots.

The Man on Camera

On October 9th, 2024, Turner, while on the third floor of the Sherburne County Courts Facility on an unrelated matter, spotted a man in the parking lot who matched the description of the man from the surveillance video.

Turner approached him on foot and introduced himself. The man was friendly, smiling, and said “yes, brother” when Turner asked if he’d be willing to talk. He explained he was working to become an attorney, was involved in his community, and was writing books. He showed Turner photos on his phone of his books for sale on Amazon. He described his activities as helping people overcome barriers to voting, specifically through language translation and transportation assistance.

Turner noted the man was with two women wearing head and body coverings. All three appeared to get into a minivan with Texas license plates that came back registered to a rental company. Turner asked the man directly if he was driving groups of people to vote. The man said yes.

A False Name and How It Unraveled

When Turner asked for identification, the man said he didn’t have it with him. He gave his name as Abdi Mahad and denied having credit cards or any other identifying documents. Turner noted the name and ended the encounter.

Turner later wrote that he found it unusual for someone to drive from St. Cloud to Elk River without identification or a credit card. A search of state driver’s license records turned up no record of anyone named Abdi Mahad with his given date of birth of July 12th, 1984, holding a valid Minnesota license.

Turner approached the man again shortly after, this time with a Transport/Court Security Deputy and a body camera rolling. Turner told the man the name he provided appeared to be false and that he needed to verify his true identity.

The man insisted his name was Abdi Mahad. He also denied having driven to the Government Center.

Turner spotted a credit card sticking out of the man’s back pocket. When he pointed it out, the man reached for it, and it dropped to the floor, landing face-up. The name on the card was Tajir Rage. Moments later, a Criminal Investigation Division sergeant arrived with a Minnesota ID card that had just been found on the floor inside the Government Center and turned in. The photo matched the man standing in front of Turner. The name on the card was Tajir Rage, and he had a St. Cloud address.

Confronted with his real identity, Rage claimed that “Abdi Mahad” was a former name and that it had been legally changed. He admitted to Turner that he had lied, saying, “I’ll be honest, I was very nervous.” He also allegedly told Turner, “all I know is that what I’m doing is for a good cause.” Even after Turner told him the surveillance cameras were clear enough to confirm whether he had driven there, he doubled down and wouldn’t admit it.

Turner later reviewed the footage showing Rage exiting the van’s driver’s seat after it arrived at the Government Center.

Rage is married to Hudda Ibrahim, who, at the time, was a candidate for the St. Cloud City Council. Images on websites and social media pages associated with Ibrahim’s campaign showed Rage alongside her.

What Election Staff Saw

Rage is known at the Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office as a frequent visitor. Staff described him as someone who regularly brought groups of people in to vote, presenting himself as a translator.

Turner conducted formal, recorded interviews with three members of the Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer’s staff on October 17th, 2024, using a set of 16 still photographs taken from the October 4th surveillance footage for identification.

Selser, who printed both sets of ballot stickers for Gure, told Turner he was aware of a man from the Somali community who regularly brought people in to vote and helped translate for them. He knew the man as “the teacher.” When shown the photographs, he immediately identified Rage and said he believed the double ballot stickers were an accident on his part.

He theorized he had accidentally printed a second set of stickers while her information was still on the screen, possibly by brushing his arm against the keyboard. He believed he had processed a second application, unaware it was a duplicate, and acknowledged he should have searched the voter system again before proceeding.

Turner also noted that Selser found it unusual that Rage continually brought in groups of people to vote, and that Anderson had previously spoken with those groups about lingering inside the office.

Anderson told Turner that Rage had been bringing in large groups of people, sometimes a dozen at once, since the primary election. From the start, Anderson said staff grew concerned about whether voters Rage brought in truly understood the oath they were required to sign on their ballot applications, an oath written only in English.

Anderson worked with the chief deputy auditor/treasurer to create translated copies of the oath in both English and Somali to ensure voters understood what they were signing.

Anderson told Turner that when she tried to have Rage fully translate the oath to a voter he was accompanying, he became confrontational, accused her of voter suppression, and demanded her identification. A verbal argument followed.

He later returned to apologize. Anderson estimated that Rage had brought in 100 or more voters and that, based on her observations, more than half of them had not been fully advised of the oath before signing.

She also told Turner that she had observed campaign materials for “Hudda,” referring to Ibrahim, left on the ground outside the government center. She recalled that during the primary, while counting ballots, she came across a stack of approximately 50 ballots in which nearly every selection was the same: the name “Hudda.”

Anderson also raised concerns about the proof of residency documents submitted by voters Rage accompanied. Lease agreements listed many names and had birthdates that often began with “01/01.”

Anderson told Turner she also occasionally observed that voters brought in by Rage did not appear to match the photos on their identification documents, appearing older or younger, heavier or lighter or, in some cases, impossible to compare because the voter’s face was fully covered.

Kapsner, who witnessed the second of Gure’s two ballots, confirmed she recognized Rage as the interpreter who had been bringing in groups of voters daily. She told Turner she assumed the oath was being read and explained to voters out in the lobby and said she had no concerns about the process.

The Voter

On October 17th, 2024, Turner located Gure at her mother’s house on 16th Street Southeast in St. Cloud. He identified himself and spoke with her at the door. She confirmed she had voted recently, casting a ballot for a city council candidate whose name is redacted in the report, and then realized she had forgotten to vote for president. She got another ballot application and voted again for a presidential candidate only.

When Turner asked directly whether she had voted twice in one day, Gure said, “ya.” She also said at one point, “I got two ballots.”

Gure described being with her cousins during the voting. She said a “guy” had been helping her during her first vote, but claimed she did not know his name and had never seen him before. Later in the conversation, when Turner showed her an unmarked photograph of Rage, Gure immediately identified him, saying, “Yeah this guy.” She then said he was the person who told her she could vote again.

Gure said that after her first vote, she asked someone whether she could vote again for another candidate, and that person said yes. She confirmed it was the same man who had helped her the first time. She then went back in line and cast a second ballot.

When asked whether she felt pressured to vote, Gure at first said no. When Turner pressed further, she admitted someone had told her she had to go vote. When asked if it was the man who had been helping people, she said yes.

Gure appeared confused about the voting process during the interview. At one point, she asked Turner whether she could go in and vote on different days. Turner said no. Gure said, “I didn’t know that.”

The Candidate on Camera

Surveillance video captured Ibrahim at the Government Center on October 4th. According to Turner’s report, she was seen approaching a coffee shop vendor inside the building at least three times, each time giving purchased coffee to voters who had already cast their ballots. Ibrahim remained in the lobby until all the groups that day, including those with Rage, had left the building.

Turner confirmed with the coffee shop owner that three purchases totaling more than $40 were made between noon and 1:30 p.m. that day, all charged to the same credit card. Video confirmed Ibrahim was at the register for two of those purchases. Rage made the third using the same card.

Ibrahim Responds

A request for comment sent to Council Member Ibrahim was answered by her attorney, Tonya Hinkemeyer, who provided KNSI News a statement on her behalf. Asked specifically about the coffee purchases, Hinkemeyer said: “Law enforcement reviewed these allegations and did not find any wrongdoing. I am confident that all actions were lawful and appropriate. Providing rides to polling places is a common and legal way to support voter participation. Any transportation offered was solely for that purpose. There was no coercion, direction, or requirement that voters support any particular candidate. There were no promises, payments, or improper incentives offered in exchange for votes. Any incidental gestures, such as coffee, were not tied to voting behavior. The intent was simply to help community members access the polls. Any future efforts will continue to comply fully with election laws.”

The statement did not directly address the double ballot submission or Rage’s conduct as documented in the report.

The Investigation Expands

Turner learned from Sherburne County staff that Rage may have been involved in similar activities at absentee voting locations in Benton and Stearns counties.

Turner contacted the Stearns County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office and learned staff there had been dealing with issues related to voter assistance and translation since July 2024. Staff knew the individual only as “Abdi,” one of the names Rage had used. Stearns County staff provided Turner with notes from an initial complaint and a video. Turner reviewed the video and identified Rage seen writing on documents at what appeared to be ballot booths, with multiple women in head and body coverings standing nearby.

To understand the significance of what Turner found, some political context is necessary. St. Cloud’s City Council has seven members, made up of four ward representatives and three at-large seats. All three at-large seats were on the ballot in 2024. Sixteen candidates competed in the August 13th primary, which narrowed the field to the top six vote-getters. Ibrahim advanced from the primary to the November general election but lost the at-large race. She was appointed to the Ward Three seat in December after Jake Anderson vacated it following his election as mayor.

In the final pages of his report, Turner wrote that he believed violations of Minnesota election statutes had occurred and that they were, at least in part, the result of an ongoing pattern of activity by individuals connected to Ibrahim’s campaign. He specifically identified concerns about double voting, violations of voter assistance rules, and conduct within the polling place.

Turner noted that further investigation was needed to determine whether the violations were made unknowingly or unintentionally, or deliberately intended to affect the election outcome.

Turner asked that his report be forwarded to the Sherburne County Attorney’s Office for a charging review of Gure for two felony violations of Minnesota election law: one for casting two ballots in the same election under Minnesota Statute 204C.14.B, and one for providing two ballots of the same type to an election official under Minnesota Statute 204C.14.D. He noted additional charges for other individuals were pending further investigation.

No Charges Filed

The Sherburne County Attorney’s Office did not file charges against Gure or anyone else in connection with the investigation, despite Turner’s report formally recommending a review of charges for felony election law violations.

Sherburne County Attorney Dawn Nyhus responded to a request for comment from KNSI News, stating: “Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Section 13.393, our records are not subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and therefore we will not be providing response. You may request a copy of the decline letter from the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office.”

The statute Nyhus cited governs attorney-client privilege for county attorneys, meaning the office declined to explain its reasoning, not that it found no wrongdoing.

Rage was charged with two misdemeanor offenses arising from the October 9th encounter with Turner. A criminal complaint was filed in Sherburne County District Court on December 12th, 2024. Count one charged Rage with giving a peace officer a false name and date of birth. Count two charged him with driving without a valid license. In December 2025, Rage pleaded guilty to driving without a license and was sentenced to one year of probation.

Stearns County Sheriff Steve Soyka told KNSI News his office investigated allegations related to voter fraud and turned its findings over to the county attorney’s office. No charges were filed.

What Comes Next

Filing for St. Cloud City Council is now open and runs through Tuesday, June 2nd. All four ward seats are on the ballot. Ibrahim currently serves as the Ward Three representative.

The inquiry into the double voting, voter assistance concerns, and related allegations spanning Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties remains ongoing. As of publication, no charges have been filed against anyone in connection with the voting activity.

To read the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office incident report, click here.

To read the criminal complaint against Tajir Rage, click here.