Ravalli County Commissioner Jeff Burrows told the Bitterroot Star on Monday that the County Commissioners were considering establishing a single polling place at the Fairgrounds First Interstate Building for the upcoming November 3rd elections. The meeting to make the decision was scheduled to take place Tuesday morning.
A public meeting on the issue was already held at the First Interstate Building last week to take public comment. According to Burrows, the public response at the meeting was overwhelmingly in favor of having a chance to vote at the polls. He said as a result the commissioners began brainstorming possible ways to make polling places available.
Establishing polling places across the valley, mostly in school district facilities, has been the traditional approach. But with the COVID-19 emergency measures in place, the traditional use of those facilities would necessarily be limited due to social distancing requirements and would also be difficult to arrange.
The biggest problem, according to Burrows, was going to be getting enough experienced election judges to turn out. According to Burrows, those people are mostly older and in a vulnerable age range for COVID-19.
Election Administrator Regina Plettenberg said that she polled the volunteer group that serves as election judges. Out of 174 volunteers, she said, 80 said they would definitely be willing to serve, 60 said maybe, depending on how much the epidemic progresses or not, and 20 said definitely no. She said that it left her without enough experienced judges to have multiple polling places across the valley as usual, so she recommended to the commissioners if they were wanting to go to the polls, it would probably mean consolidating polling places.
Burrows said that it seemed like there were enough experienced and willing volunteers to staff at least one polling place. He said they brainstormed the options and it is likely that it will be established at the First Interstate Building at the Fairgrounds in Hamilton.
Burrows said that they were still going to encourage people to use absentee ballots. He said with only one polling place it could mean long lines due to distancing and also a long wait.
“We are trying to make a team effort of it with everybody,” said Burrows. “We can’t do it without Regina and without the staff she provides, so we are trying to work out the difficulties at the polling place. It may be noticeably reduced since there is only one polling place, but the election should look similar to what we’ve seen in the past general elections.”
Burrows said that he talked to some individuals and groups who had expressed concerns about being able to vote at the polls and it seems like they are OK with the solution. He called it a reasonable compromise considering all the difficulties involved.
According to Plettenberg, if the First Interstate Building is designated by the commissioners as a polling place, the entire parking lot could be used for parking and the building adjoining the Interstate building could be used as well.
Plettenberg said that voters would receive a mailing to alert them to the location of the polling place and that mailing would include an application for an absentee ballot. She said they were encouraging people to get on the absentee list to reduce the lines and the waiting at the polling place and also give those who feel uncomfortable about attending a large gathering of people during a pandemic an alternative.
Plettenberg told the Bitterroot Star late Monday, however, that she had begun plotting out the details of holding such an event under the restrictions currently in place due to COVID-19 and does not, at this point, think that she can actually recommend establishing any polling place.
“Having done this for 22 years,” said Plettenberg, “in my professional opinion, I will have to advise that we do a full mail-in ballot. With things the way they are, with everyone cancelling large group events and conventions being cancelled, with the Ravalli County Fair being cancelled, this is not the time to be having any large group of people come to any gathering.”
She said that it sends the wrong message to people when Missoula County has already decided to use mail-in ballots and the local schools are all requiring masks, and all these other things are being canceled to suddenly sponsor a large event at the Fairgrounds.
Plettenberg said it also doesn’t pencil out when you start calculating the space and the distances that must be maintained between people. She said at this point she did not think the idea of establishing any polling places or even a single one is a viable option and she was going to recommend that the Commissioners approve a full mail-in ballot.
The meeting was set for Tuesday, August 25 at 8:30 a.m.