Ballot box for Troy area voters will remain in former dispatch center

The ballot box for Troy absentee voters will be maintained in the former office of the now defunct dispatch center.

Lincoln County Commissioners voted to disband the dispatch center at a meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

At the commissioners meeting earlier that day, Election Administrator Melanie Howell initially said the ballot box would be moved to the city office.

But with word that a video camera would be installed in the former dispatch center, it was decided to maintain the drop box at its current location.

While Howell said that having the ballot box in the city office would make it more secure, the presence of a camera and the fact that the ballot box would be available 24 hours per day and seven days per week, made it a more preferable option.

Mail ballots were scheduled to go out Oct. 18. They are due at the Elections Center at 418 Mineral Ave., Libby, by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7. Remember, postmarked by then does not count – it needs to be at the Elections Center by 8 p.m.

The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing your ballot no later than seven days before Election Day, which is Tuesday, Oct. 31. If it is later than Oct. 31, voters are asked to hand deliver their ballot to the Elections Center.

Voters may also drop off their ballot at a secure drop location on Election Day, including at Troy Dispatch, Eureka Dispatch or at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lobby.

The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 7, according to Howell.
In Libby, there are six candidates for three, four-year seats. They include incumbents Brian Zimmerman, Zach McNew and Hugh Taylor, as well as a former councilor, Darrel “DC” Orr and newcomers Brad Nelson and Ian Smith.

In Troy, the town council has two four-year terms up for election and one two-year term. Six candidates have filed to run. They include Jamie Shupe, Robert Henson, Scott Hoffman, Gilbert Gravier II, Dallas Carr and Tyler Boswell.

Carr previously served on council and was also the town’s mayor.

For those who missed the Oct. 10 regular registration deadline, they may still register to vote in the election by coming to the Lincoln County Election Center located at 418 Mineral Avenue, Floor B. The deadline for late registration is noon, Monday, Nov. 6.

To vote in Lincoln County, citizens must be 18 years old or older, on or before the next election, a United States citizen registered to vote, and have lived in Lincoln County for at least 30 days.

Those not eligible to vote are currently convicted felons serving a sentence in a penal institution or have been judged in a court of law to be of unsound mind.

There are three polling places in the county, including:

• Eureka – High Road Youth Center – 1295 2nd Ave. E, Eureka, MT – Precincts 1, 2, 4, 15 and 16;
• Troy – Troy Activity Center – Troy Activity Center 4th Street, Troy, MT – Precincts 5, 6, 7, 8, 14;
• Libby – Memorial Center – 111 E. Lincoln Blvd., Libby, MT – Precincts 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

More information about elections in Lincoln County can be found at https://lincolncountymt.us/.