Officials say Montana’s election ran slowly but smoothly
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
MONTANA — The state’s 2022 midterm election ran accurately and smoothly as determined by the Montana Board of State Canvassers, and election officials across the state agree.
Roughly 61% of Montana’s registered voters cast ballots in a midterm election that featured a return to electing two U.S. congressional representatives, the result of a growing population. More people voted in the 2018 race, which included a U.S. Senate contest and several ballot issues.
The biggest challenge election administrators faced involved a late September court order by a Billings District Court judge who reinstated same-day voter registration, third-party ballot collection and previously acceptable student IDs. Laws passed the 2021 Republican-controlled Legislature had ended or revised those practices. They were in effect for the June primary.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen has appealed the judge’s ruling, but for voters it meant longer lines at some county voting offices and the hiring of additional election judges who had to be trained in the changing rules.
Several election administrators across the state said the run-up to Election Day was hectic but their staffs handled the challenges efficiently. In Lake County, election administrator Toni Kramer said she spent most of her time training election judges but the day itself, though long, ran smoothly.
“The election went very well,” Kramer said. “It was my first go at training (election) judges and we will be prepared heading into the 2024, 2026 elections.”
In Yellowstone County, Kevin Gillen has served as interim election administrator since fall. He said the most pressing matters ranged from long lines to small technical issues to just plain bad weather.
All things considered, Election Day “was not too bad,” he said, adding that late results mattered less than making sure officials counted all the votes accurately.
“That was the mission,” said Gillen. “It’s so crucial being more accurate than fast.”
In Gallatin County, officials said the major hiccups came down to staffing and not having results sooner. Missoula County reported minor technical issues that led to late results.
So far, no concern has been expressed about the accuracy of the results locally or statewide, where Republicans captured both congressional seats and built a supermajority in the Legislature.
The party’s only statewide casualty was James Brown, the candidate scores of state GOP figures had endorsed for a seat on the nonpartisan Montana Supreme Court. He lost to incumbent Justice Ingrid Gustafson in a spendy race that attracted big donations from outside groups supporting both candidates.
One minor incident in this year’s voting occurred in Great Falls when several election skeptics in cars showed up at the election’s office to ask why it was closed on the Veterans Day holiday and took pictures of election officials’ license plates.
According to reports, a local Republican official who was monitoring ballot counting inside told the group the work was proceeding fairly and efficiently and that their actions were frightening officials inside. The affair ended without incident.
Jeremy Johnson, a political science professor and analyst at Carroll College, said he expects Republicans to continue to push for changes in how Montanans can vote. “And that, generally in recent years, has included some restrictions about voting,” he said.
For now, that issue is up to the Montana’s Supreme Court, though GOP lawmakers have already requested several proposed constitutional amendments dealing with how they think the state’s elections should run.
