In April, county's election office switches to fairgrounds

Beginning in early April, county elections office business will take place at the Flathead County Fairgrounds where more space is available.

Flathead County Clerk Paula Robinson said the elections office staff will work out of the Country Fair Kitchen building from Monday, April 2, though Friday, June 29 in connection with the June 5 primary election.

The office will move to the fairgrounds again for about three months this fall for the Nov. 6 general election.

People who want to register to vote after April 2 need to go to the fairgrounds, not the courthouse, Robinson said.

All absentee in-person voting for the primary election also will take place at the fairgrounds. Absentee voting begins May 7 and ends at noon June 4.

Absentee ballots also may be obtained and returned by mail. To obtain a mailed absentee ballot, people must submit a written request to the elections office at 800 S. Main St., Room 115, Kalispell MT 59901.

Absentee ballots may be picked up from the elections office at the fairgrounds and then later returned, if that’s a voter’s preferred choice.

Robinson said the fairgrounds was chosen as the alternate elections office site this year because there isn’t adequate space to handle absentee voting in the courthouse.

“There’s always been an issue of parking at the courthouse and, before the renovation, there were accessibility issues,” she said.

Before the courthouse renovation was completed late last year, the elections office on the second floor couldn’t be reached by disabled people because there was no elevator, she said.

Elections office employees had to take ballots or other information to disabled people who could access the first floor.

The Country Fair Kitchen is handicap-accessible and there’s far more parking available, Robinson said.

Four county employees will be based at the Country Fair Kitchen. Desks, phones, computers and other office equipment will be placed in the building, along with voting booths, tables and chairs for voters.

“It will be a more private setting for people to vote,” she said.

Robinson said in past years, because of limited space in the courthouse, people sometimes would have to line up outside into the courthouse parking lot because there wasn’t sufficient space to wait inside to cast an absentee ballot. The off-site location will prevent that from occurring this year, she said.

People can continue to call the elections office at its regular number — 758-5535 — during the relocation periods. Office hours remain the same as at the courthouse, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.