Election do-over will ensure voter confidence

An unfortunate administrative error came to light at the 11th hour of Kalispell’s municipal election earlier this month.

According to the Flathead County Election Department, incorrect ballots were issued to some voters based on previous ward boundaries that had not been updated in the election software prior to Election Day. Approximately 8% of Kalispell voters — or roughly 1,400 ballots — were affected by the error. There are 16,894 voters in Kalispell, and a total of 2,869 ballots were cast in the election.

Last week county commissioners voted 2-1 to certify the election results, while signaling that a do-over is likely to come next. Commissioner Randy Brodehl was the lone dissenting vote, arguing that he was uncomfortable with certifying the election given the error.