05/26/2026
Wilton state representative pleads guilty to violating Clean Election law
sunjournal.com/2026/05/26/wilton-state-representative-pleads-guilty-to-violating-clean-election-law
May 26, 2026
A Wilton state representative pleaded guilty Tuesday to unsworn falsification and criminal violation of the Clean Election law in a plea agreement that dismissed 10 charges of aggravated forgery at Oxford County Superior Court.
District 74 state Rep. Randall Hall, R-Wilton, entered the misdemeanor pleas with his attorney, Joshua Tardy, by his side.
Justice Thomas McKeon sentenced Hall to 48 hours in jail, to be served through an alternative sentencing program and 100 hours of community service.
Assistant Attorney General Charles Boyle represented the state in the case.
Tardy told the court Hall had already started his community service. Hall is expected to turn himself into the alternative sentencing program on Friday.
Martha Currier, assistant director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, read from a prewritten victim’s impact statement during the hearing.
“The Ethics Commission is directed by statute to be the stewards of taxpayer dollars for those seeking public financing for their Maine House, Senate or gubernatorial campaign,” Currier read, noting the commission is responsible for making sure the public funds are awarded and used correctly.
In 2024, the commission denied Hall clean elections funds after the staff found 17 signatures that appeared to be falsified on the forms. He did not appeal the commission’s decision and turned to private donors to fund his campaign. Hall initially denied any wrongdoing, she read.
“Two years later Mr. Hall is taking responsibility for his actions, and the commission is pleased to see this case conclude,” Cloutier read. “We believe the plea agreement is fair. However, the reasons for Mr. Hall’s actions in this case are still unclear. At best there might have been an effort to cut corners, or at worst a nefarious action to defraud the public. Either way, his actions disregarded the laws he swore to uphold four times as a member of the Maine House of Representatives.”
Hall did not make a statement.
According to the indictment, Hall, who is currently serving his fourth term in the Legislature, forged signatures on 10 qualifying contribution affirmation forms, which are the forms that must be filled out by donors who give qualifying contributions to a candidate for state office so the candidate can get Clean Elections funding from the state.
He was also accused of making a false statement on a different form on which he asserted that the signatures were in fact those of the people they purported to be, according to the indictment issued in 2025.
The Maine Clean Elections Act is a voluntary program for candidates for state office to receive public financing for their campaigns. To become eligible, candidates must demonstrate baseline support by collecting a minimum number of $5 qualifying contributions and documenting those contributions with forms signed by the contributors.
Staff at the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices denied Hall Clean Elections Funds in 2024 after irregularities were found. Hall qualified for public funds in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
House District 74 includes the Franklin and Somerset county towns of Avon, Carthage, Industry, New Portland, New Vineyard, Perkins Township, South Franklin, Strong, Temple, Washington Township, Weld, and Wilton.
© 2026 Lewiston Sun Journal
Hall was sentenced to 48 hours in jail to be served through an alternative sentencing program and 100 hours of community service.
