How to make sense of ballot
People in Flathead County are finding themselves looking at a very busy ballot — so busy that county officials are getting lots of comments about the ballot being confusing.
The county election office started mailing absentee ballots on Monday, and it is expected that well over 20 percent of voting will be done by absentee ballot prior to the June 5 election.
With that in mind, here’s a dose of clarity for voters. First of all, remember that since this is a primary you have to choose whether to vote in the Republican primary or the Democratic primary. You can’t vote in both.
There are some contested races on the Democratic side, but not as many as among GOP candidates For instance, the two county commission races involve a total of 14 candidates, but the two Democrats are running unopposed, whereas five Republicans are competing in District 3, and seven Republicans are battling in District 1.
The fact that there are two commissioner races may be the source of some of the confusion. It’s not customary for voters to be choosing two county commissioners at the same time. But that’s the case this year because of the death of Commissioner Jim Dupont on March 19. Although the commissioners who are elected for the two districts must reside in their districts, all county voters can vote on both races.
The District 1 commission election is all about finding a Republican candidate to run for the final two years of Dupont’s term. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Gil Jordan in November.
The Republican field is made up of Mike Shepard, Rod Bernhardson, Ben Stormes, Kirk Gentry, Glenn Kolodejchuk, Doug Adams and Cal Scott. Chris Hyatt is also on the ballot, but has withdrawn his candidacy.
Running for the District 3 position currently held by Dale Lauman, who isn’t seeking re-election, are Bob Herron, Mike Schlegel, Terry Kramer, Gary Krueger and Gerald “Jay” Scott. The winner will go on to face Democrat Clara Mears-LaChappelle in the November general election, which will decide who will hold the District 3 seat for the next six years.
The fact that there are candidates with the same surname, “Scott,” in both the District 1 and District 3 races probably isn’t helpful, but we are confident that voters have time to inform themselves about who all the candidates are, including both the Scotts.
It’s an unusual election year in lots of ways, but it’s still all about citizens doing their civic duty. Tune out the negative campaigning, research the candidates and vote your conscience.