Kalispell Public Schools works to correct ballot mailing issue

With ballots due tomorrow, Kalispell Public Schools hurried last week to correct an error with mailed ballots.

More than 40,000 ballots went out to voters on April 18. On April 21, officials with Kalispell Public Schools learned of an error regarding how many ballots were sent out to voters for trustee elections, according to Denise Williams, the district’s clerk and finance director.

The high school district levy election was not affected, she said, and was correctly included in ballot packets initially mailed out.

“Everyone correctly got a high school ballot that should have gotten it,” Williams said in a brief May 28 interview.

The district sent out letters to 1,700 people advising them of the error on April 22 and telling recipients to contact the central office immediately to get a ballot for the elementary trustee election. Williams also began contacting affected voters by phone.

School elections are overseen by district clerks who serve as election administrators in a respective district. Once a school board decides to hold an election, the Flathead County Election Department sends over a master list of registered voters and precincts, Williams said. The error occurred as a result of misunderstanding precinct boundaries in the high school district. The district belatedly became aware that portions of some high school district precincts fell into Kalispell, which is the elementary district. This meant some voters were not sent an elementary trustee ballot, while others were incorrectly sent elementary/high school trustee ballots.

Affected precincts are 6, 7, 19, 24, 29, 31, 33, and 34. Only voters in precincts 19, 29, 33 and 34 were not sent an elementary trustee ballot. Williams said that although some voters incorrectly received high school district trustee ballots, everyone who was eligible to vote on the contested race did receive a ballot.

“We’re contacting them and keeping track of them,” Williams said. “Some people came and picked up an elementary trustee ballot.”

The letter sent out to voters also stated: “If you have already voted and either mailed or delivered your ballot, we will track it and set it aside.

We regret any inconvenience this will cause. We want to ensure that your right to vote in this election is preserved and that all ballots are accounted for and securely processed.”

Voters receive ballots based on where they live because Kalispell Public Schools is made up of an elementary district and high school district, which operate on separate budgets.

Kalispell voters are part of both the elementary and high school districts and should have received ballots for the high school levy and the elementary trustee election.

The high school district also includes voters living in 13 outlying feeder school districts whose students graduate to Flathead or Glacier high schools. These voters should have received ballots for the levy. Somers-Lakeside and Kila voters should have also received ballots to decide the one open high school district trustee position because that person will represent these towns in the high school district.

The central office administration office, 233 First. Ave. E., will accept ballots from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

For more information, contact Williams at 406-751-3412 or by email at denise.williams@sd5.k12.mt.us.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 406-758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.