County mail-in ballots trickling in

Sanders County Elections Office will be looking for all mail-in ballots by the 8 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 7, deadline. With seats up for grabs in Hot Springs and Thompson Falls, counting the results of the election should go fairly quickly that evening for the county workers.

As of Monday, the elections office reported that of the 740 ballots mailed to voters in Thompson Falls, just 221 have been returned. The office received 151 of the 349 ballots from Hot Springs, and of the 732 voter ballots mailed out in Plains 245 have been mailed back completed.

There is no election for Plains, as all vacancies will be filled by acclamation — meaning there was no opponent registered to run against the candidate. The most recent legislative session moved to ease a burden from local election budgets, allowing candidates to take their position without holding an actual election if there were no other candidates registered for the position in question. In Plains this includes the mayor position, with candidate Danny Rowan; council member for Ward 1, Seat 2, Joel Banham; Ward 2, Seat 2, Audrey Kolbeck; and Ward 3, Seat 2, Christopher Allen.

However, Plains residents living within city limits and property owners with land in the city will be voting whether or not to create a special street maintenance district. Those with a say also include corporations, businesses, churches and other organizations with property in the town of Plains. Bobbi Christensen at the elections office said she made every attempt to contact those outside of the regular voting requirements, and those property owners had to respond via mail proving their ownership, legitimacy as a Montana voter, and request a mail-in ballot for their representation. For churches, businesses and organizations this meant a response from a president, treasurer or other such official title with authority to represent their group’s vote.

In Thompson Falls, Shawni Vaught will be voted in to Ward 3, Seat 2 trustee position by acclamation, since there is no registered candidate running against her. Also, Lynne Kirsten’s bid for councilmember in Ward 1, Seat 2 is a shoe-in by acclamation.

Vying for trustee position in Ward 2, Seat 2 in Thompson Falls are incumbent Earlene Powell (who was appointed during a vacancy in 2015), Dawn Gandalf, and Dennis Koker.

In the running for Thompson Falls mayor are incumbent Mark Sheets, and current councilmember Dennis Newman. Mayors serve a four year term.

Hot Springs has become a quagmire of a few unhappy voters and candidates, due to a late withdraw in the race for the four-year term of councilmember “at large” (there are no wards in Hot Springs). Although Liz DeRoche moved to withdraw her name from the race, that motion was filed two days after the deadline. Christensen consulted multiple sources for how to legally proceed with the election given the situation. All answers matched: the candidate cannot be taken off the ballot. Should the candidate in question win the position, she must resign upon winning. The seat would then be filled by appointment of the trustees. Although DeRoche will appear on the ballot, the remaining candidates are hoping to take in the most votes for the position, including Leslee Balsley-Smith, Susan Faye Roberts and Paul Stetler. The valid write-in candidate is Nina Decoster.

Running for the title of mayor and a four-year term in Hot Springs are Robert Jackson, Karen Evans and Randy Woods.