School ballots mailed, due May 8

Ballots for Sanders County school district elections were mailed last week, and some voters are experiencing confusion due to multiple ballots.

Sanders County Clerk & Recorder staff said that they have had some calls regarding duplicate ballots, but Election Deputy Bobbi Christenson assures voters that no duplicates were mailed. In some cases, two separate ballots were sent to voters.

In the Trout Creek Elementary voting district, voters were mailed two ballots, and both need to be completed and submitted to the county. The first ballot is for the Trout Creek Elementary School technology levy. The second ballot is either Noxon voting at Trout Creek or Thompson Falls voting at Trout Creek. The second ballot for Trout Creek voters has school board candidates for the respective districts, and in Noxon, a proposed technology levy for the high school.

Christenson said that voters need to keep the ballots and envelopes separate and vote each ballot. The ballots also should not be combined in the same envelope or they will be rejected. She said that the ballots and envelopes are marked so that voters can match them before mailing or submitting the ballots.

Trout Creek Elementary School is seeking a $40,000 technology and depreciation fund levy for one year to create a computer lab at the school. Passage of the levy would increase taxes on a home with a market value of $100,000 by approximately $7.01.

The Noxon ballots include a Noxon High School technology levy seeking $15,000 a year for five years for expenses including buying new computers, replacing outdated technology equipment in classrooms, training and subscriptions or license-based fees for accessing the Internet throughout the school. If passed, the levy would result in an increase in taxes of approximately $1.16 on a home with a market value of $100,000. The elementary school also is seeking a technology levy of $15,000 a year for five years for similar expenses. The elementary levy, if passed, would increase taxes on a home with a market value of $100,000 by approximately $2.05.

On the Noxon School Board, four positions are open. Three positions will be voted on by the Noxon School District voters, and one by the Noxon voting at Trout Creek voters. No one filed for the position on the Trout Creek ballot, so the ballot includes a write-in line. Christenson said that the person with the highest number of write-in votes will be offered the position. If that person refuses, it will be up to the school board to appoint something to fill the position.

Noxon voters will choose two of three candidates for a three-year term. Lars Swanson and Andrew Burgess are currently on the Noxon School Board and seeking another term. Justine Fanning also filed as a candidate for one of those positions. For a two-year term on the Noxon School Board, David Pafford filed for re-election. No other candidates filed in that race.

At Thompson Falls Schools, three candidates filed for two positions. Jeneese Baxter, Abby Harnett and Sandra Muster have filed for the three-year term. Harnett and Muster currently sit on the school board.

Elections in other school districts were canceled as not enough candidates filed. In Hot Springs, two three-year positions were open, and Lenny Page and Dirk Roosma filed for those spots. In Plains, two positions were up for election. Polly Icenoggle and Travis Pfister were the two candidates. In Trout Creek, current school board members Elizabeth Stender and Penny James filed for the two open positions.

Ballots must be returned to the Sanders County Clerk and Recorder office by May 8. Christenson encourages anyone with questions to contact the office at (406) 827-6949.