GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Public Schools Board held a special meeting on Monday night to address concerns regarding voting methods for their elections and elections to come.
For over a decade GFPS has utilized mail-in ballots for its elections but the recent election of Clerk & Recorder Sandra Merchant has brought along philosophical changes to the delivery of ballots.
Now faced with the potential of an exclusively polled election, GFPS and its trustees have more questions than answers.
“We haven't received an election plan, and so we've asked for the estimated cost or increased cost of this different type of election that is being proposed,” says Director of Business Operations with GFPS, Brian Patrick.
A mail-in election has cost roughly $40,000 for the board year in and year out. Now with new legislation being proposed, the cost and other semantics have yet to be confirmed.
“Ultimately, the taxpayer has to pay the cost of an election. That's part of our budget. And so we've all gotten used to the notion of a rough estimate for what those costs would be if it's an all mail-in election,” says School Board Trustee, Bill Bronson. “I think we're entitled to know in writing and with some clarity specificity why you can't do the election the mail ballot way. If for some reason you say you can't and you can justify it, then tell us how much it's going to cost us.”
On Monday evening a motion to open discussion with Merchant to keep mail-in procedures was passed unanimously by the trustees.
“They want Superintendent Moore and myself to go down and meet with and have the discussions with the goal of trying to have a successful election,” says Patrick.
The trustees are prepared to assist the election office carry out their duties within the limit of the law. They simply would like clarity on matters such as cost, manpower, and other moving pieces which would be associated with an all-polling election.
“What I want to hear is a response to those perfectly legitimate, perfectly fair requests that, again, ultimately have the interests of our bosses, the taxpayers at heart,” says Bronson.
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