In May 2023, Elliot Merja urged Cascade County to not approve the Fort Shaw Irrigation District election results due to various issues. Merja, a candidate in that election, voiced his concerns during the election canvass meeting. “Whether I win or not doesn’t matter to me, but this election was run as such a farce that it should not stand, and it can’t stand,” Merja stated.
Judge David Grubich of Cascade County District Court recently annulled the results of the problematic election led by faulty election administration. Special elections have been ordered for Fort Shaw Irrigation Districts 2 and 4, though not for District 5, as the lawsuit extended beyond its one-year term.
Numerous errors affected the election process. Some eligible voters never received ballots, while others lacked the necessary envelopes and instructions. Confusion about the voting statutes for landowners added to the chaos. Despite these issues, the election was approved by a county canvass board consisting of County Commissioners Rae Grulkowski and Jim Larson, alongside Clerk of District Court Tina Henry.
Two candidates, including Merja from District 5 and Riley Denning from District 4, filed the lawsuit after raising concerns. Their attorney, Steve Potts, remarked, “Everything that could have been done wrong was done wrong.” Denning cited a personal incident where he was unable to vote for 619 acres he co-owned, receiving ballots only for his independently owned 197 acres.
Under Cascade County Clerk Sandra Merchant’s administration, ballots were sent late, without proper instructions or envelopes. This event led to Cascade County commissioners transferring election duties from Merchant to Terry Thompson. This transition caused a $52,000 discrimination settlement.
Judge Grubich’s ruling ordered special elections, addressing the election irregularities but only briefly mentioning Merchant’s role. Elliot Merja lost again in the FSID District 5 election conducted in 2024. The West Great Falls Flood and Drainage Control District, initially included in the lawsuit, was dismissed before the final verdict. The date for new FSID elections remains undecided.
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