County election center set to open ahead of November polls
Lincoln County election administrator Paula Buff takes measurements in the basement of the county annex building on Sept. 21. County election staff plan move into the basement room and adjoining hallway by the November municipal election. (Will Langhorne/The Western News)
Brett Marshall prepares the basement of the Lincoln County Annex for painting. County election staff plan to move into the basement room and adjoining hallway by the November municipal election. (Will Langhorne/The Western News)
Josh Moore, painter with Morris Services, prepares to paint in the basement of the Lincoln County Annex. County election staff are planning to move into the room and adjoining hallway by the November municipal election. (Will Langhorne/The Western News)
After years of cramming their ballot counters and election judges into the Lincoln County courthouse, local officials will have a designated election center starting this November.
Since taking office earlier this year, county election administrator Paula Buff has pushed for creating a space that would afford election staff some breathing room. With a $35,000 grant in hand from the federal Help America Vote Act, Buff and other county officials are working to revamp and stock the county annex basement in time for the Nov. 2 municipal election.
Gesturing around the basement during a Sept. 21 tour, Buff said the room had served as a dumping ground for the county for many years. After countless runs to the landfill, employees began replacing tongue and groove paneling with sheetrock and painting walls.
As of last week, the county hadn’t moved into the center. Officials were still waiting on the basement to be carpeted, which could take until the end of the month.
“It would be super cool to have an open house for the National Voter Registration Day on the 28th but there’s just no way,” said Buff.
Buff still hopes to open the center up for public visitation before Election Day.
Along the hallway leading into the basement’s main room, Buff hopes to set up regular and ADA polling booths and a desk for election judges. While Libby city officials have chosen to hold a polling election this year, Buff said most voters are planning to cast absentee ballots.
Buff envisioned stocking one corner of the main room with locking metal storage cabinets to house mailed ballots. By spanning a metal accordion gate across a wall recess, Buff said employees could create a space to securely store post-election materials the county is required to retain.
Election staff plan to set aside another corner of the room as a poll watching area for residents. Tables for judges would be scattered around the center of the room.
While election officials and voters should be able to use the center in November, not all of the renovations will be done in time for the municipal election.
Thanks to the federal grant, county taxpayers will be receiving the center practically for free. Buff said the award would cover everything except certain small costs, like painting and lighting.