Flathead County voters cited abortion, economy and immigration as top concerns

Overcast skies and spitting rain did little to deter voters from funneling into the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell to cast their ballots in person on Tuesday.  

Polling locations across Flathead County opened at 7 a.m. on Nov. 5 with doors closing at 8 p.m. Voters faced choices for county, state and national races on the ballot as well as three constitutional initiatives for Montana.  

Abortion, immigration and economic policy were on the top of voters' minds going into the polls. Many said they were turning to former President Donald Trump to right the ship after four years under President Joe Biden. Others worried Trump’s inflammatory behavior and divisive rhetoric was not what the country needed and looked to Vice President Kamala Harris to provide unity. 

At about 8:30 a.m. in Kalispell, around 10 people could be seen touting campaign signs for Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke at the intersection of Two Mile Drive and North Meridian Road, just outside of the county fairgrounds. Several fairground employees, adorned with reflective vests, guided the steady stream of vehicles into the parking lot.  

One of those in a bright yellow vest was Kalispell City Councilor and Fairgrounds Manager Sam Nunnally, who said that the line to vote was a far way out the door at 7 a.m.  

“It’s busy,” he said.   

Amid the hustle and bustle of finding parking, some handed out pamphlets calling for voters to reject CI-128, an amendment that if adopted would put access to abortions in the state Constitution. Tanaia Puchta handed out information asking voters to reject the initiative.  

“It changes our state Constitution,” she said. “It’s just too extreme for Montana in my opinion.”  

The initiative was at the top of many voters’ minds. A few said that protecting families and life meant rejecting the initiative. 

“It’s a life that doesn’t have a voice, and we need to be the voice,” said voter Pamela Meadow outside of the polling station at the Roy Duff Memorial Armory in Whitefish. 

But Branden Dickmen, 27, said adopting CI-128 was a means of preserving his family’s rights as he left North Valley Senior Center on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. 

“I have two daughters, so initiative 128 is a really big deal for me when it comes to personal liberties and individual freedoms of choice,” he said. 

The presidential ticket was of most importance for many voters going into the polls, including Michael and Robin Dailey, who wished that Trump had been on the ballot in 2008 in place of the now-deceased U.S. Sen. John McCain, who was the GOP nominee that year. 

First-time voters Emma Lane and Isabella Ellison were looking to see Harris in office. Both came from Republican families. They emphasized that people from differing political parties should not hold animosity toward each other. 

“We’re not, ‘If you’re a Republican you’re awful.’ No, it’s just like where your morals are,” Ellison said.  

Others saw Trump as the best bet to tackle immigration and rising prices.  

“I think we are headed in the wrong direction big time,” said Stan Ortel Sr., who had adorned a red visor with faux puff of orange hair sprouting from the top. 

Several voters said they identified with a candidate more than a party, an issue addressed in two other initiatives on the ballot. CI-126 would remove political party ballots for primary elections. Outside of the Whitefish armory, Norma Linsky sat with a table and flyers to provide information on the initiative.  

Linsky helped to garner support from registered voters across Montana to get the amendment on the ballot.  

“I’ve been frustrated for many years because I have to choose a ballot,” she said. “I vote for the person I always have.”  

Linsky said she found young people ranging from 18 to 30 usually disapproving of the current system.  

“I think it depends on the candidate more than the party itself,” Brian Merewitz, 31, said outside of the Whitefish armory.  

Merewitz voted for Harris this year and has voted for candidates of both parties in the past. But “Trump’s an [expletive],” he said.  

Other voters also worried about the former president’s inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants and Democrats, describing him as unhinged and dangerous.  

“I used to be Republican but I can’t vote for the crazy guy,” Silvia Spangler said. “In the future things change, I like to go by what they’re gonna do for the country.”  

As for Montana’s high profile Senate race, many Flathead Valley voters said they wanted to see Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester removed from office, some referencing his support of the Biden administration’s economic policies. Tester was running neck-and-neck with Bozeman businessman Tim Sheehy, the Republican candidate, in the lead up to Election Day. 

Plastered on each polling location were notices prohibiting electioneering within 100 feet of the polling location. Deputies from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office were on hand to enforce the rule and protect people’s voting rights.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at junderhill@dailyinterlake.com and 758-4407.

    Voters line up to cast their ballots inside the Trade Center at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Nov. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    A voter casts a ballot inside the Trade Center at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Nov. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Sample ballots hang inside a voting booth as voters cast their ballots inside the Trade Center at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Nov. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider