Article Summary –
Flathead County election officials have been ordered by a district court judge to redo two Kalispell city council elections due to a clerical error that resulted in some voters receiving ballots for the incorrect ward. The error was caused by the county election staff failing to update the city council boundaries in the state’s election system, impacting at least 176 voters. While the results of the first and second ward elections will be nullified, those of the third and fourth will stand, as their margins of victory were not affected by the error.
Flathead County Election Officials Directed to Redo Two Kalispell City Council Elections
A judicial directive has instructed election officials in Flathead County to redo two Kalispell city council elections from last fall due to a clerical error. This mistake led to some voters receiving ballots for the incorrect council ward.
Flathead County District Court Judge Robert Allison issued the court order on Feb. 16. This order partially approved a request by County Election Administrator Debbie Pierson to annul the results of four city council races and conduct a fresh election. Pierson submitted this request in November, stating that county elections staff had overlooked entering new city council boundaries, approved in 2021, into the state’s election system. This oversight led to at least 176 voters receiving and casting ballots for the wrong wards, as first reported by the Flathead Beacon.
Judge Allison agreed to invalidate the 2023 election results in Kalispell’s first and second wards. The margins between candidates in these races were slim enough to be influenced by the ballot error. However, the judge did not order redos for elections in Wards 3 and 4, as reported by Montana Free Press.
City Manager Doug Russell stated that council members Kari Gabriel and Sam Nunnally, last fall’s winners of the Ward 1 and Ward 2 races, stepped back from action items before the council due to the court order. The city is currently seeking clarification from the court on whether the two can serve until a new election takes place or if their seats are now vacant.
The city is not planning to review any actions taken by the council before Allison’s order, as the results of the 2023 election had already been certified by the county. Flathead County is currently finalizing details about next steps, including when the new election might occur or its potential cost.
Over the next few months, several elections are already scheduled to be conducted by the Flathead County Election Department, including a Kalispell levy election on March 19.
The Kalispell City Council consists of eight councilors, two from each ward elected to staggered four-year terms, and a mayor elected on an at-large basis. Last year, the mayor’s seat and the other four city councilors were not up for election.
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