Election administrator grapples with concerns, misinformation

With traditional voting plans upended by the coronavirus pandemic, Lincoln County officials have received a slew of questions and concerns from residents about new election procedures.

Chris Nelson, county election administrator, said many who have contacted him simply want clarification on the process. Some, however, have expressed anger based on misinterpretations of the new system or misinformation circulating online.

A major misnomer, which kept Nelson’s phone ringing last week, is that Lincoln County ballots will be counted out of state.

“It was over nine people over a couple day period,” he said.

Nelson stressed that Lincoln County ballots will be counted by local judges. While he said that he could not find the source of the misinformation, he suspected it originated in rumors floating on social media or people mistaking national news for regional news.

Nelson has also received calls about a U.S. Postal Service flyer that led residents to think they were not registered to vote. Politico reported that the USPS started sending every American household a mailer providing basic information on the mail voting process. In many areas, including Lincoln County, the information doesn’t correspond with local election plans.

State election and postal officials from both political parties butted heads with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a private Sept. 17 call. Officials weren’t consulted on the timing or content of the mailer, according to the Politico article.

The distinction between pre-registration and registration has confused some Lincoln County voters, according to Nelson. While residents can fill out a pre-registration form on the Montana Secretary of State’s website, they are still required to visit the county election office or a late registration location to complete the paperwork.

Another source of unfounded concern among Lincoln County voters, Nelson said, is that the process for counting mail-in ballots is not secure.

Nelson said the procedure for tabulating mailed ballots is a multi-step process designed to verify the validity of each vote while keeping the voter’s identity separate from their preferences.

When a person casts their vote by mail, Nelson said they are instructed to seal their ballot inside a secrecy envelope. The secrecy envelope is then supposed to be sealed inside an affidavit envelope, which the voter is instructed to sign.

When officials receive a ballot, they will use scanners to validate the ID number and then compare the voter’s signatures against registration signatures they have on file. Nelson said officials with the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have provided his election staff with training on how to check signatures. If his staff has a question about a signature, Nelson said they would contact the voter directly.

Election officials will not remove the secrecy envelope from the affidavit envelope, according to Nelson.

Nelson said a set of election judges will check the official’s work, then pass the affidavit envelopes to another set of judges. These judges will separate the secrecy envelopes from the affidavit envelopes and then pass the secrecy envelopes onto a final set of judges. This last set of judges will then tabulate the votes on Election Day.

While some voters have complained about when mail-in ballots will be sent out, Nelson said it was Helena that set the dates.

“I have a very strict set of rules that I operate under, and that’s one of them,” he said.

Under the county’s mail-in election process, officials will mail out the bulk of ballots to active voters Oct. 9.

In addition to mailing-in ballots, the county plan allows voters to cast their votes in-person at the county courthouse in Libby, the county annex in Eureka and drop-off locations. Nelson said drop off stations are planned for the Trego-Fortine-Stryker Fire Hall, the Fisher River Valley Fire Hall and the county libraries in Troy and Eureka. They will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Nelson said that the drop off sites differ from traditional polling stations in that election officials there cannot issue ballots or register voters.

While he is only required by law to post two election officials at each drop off location, Nelson said he intends to staff them with four workers.

As in years past, voters can deposit ballots at drop boxes in Troy City Hall, the Law Enforcement Center in Eureka, the county annex and the county courthouse. The drop off locations will also have deposit boxes. These drop sites will be open as soon as ballots are available. Nelson said officials plan to check them every week.