Howell returns to work as county elections seek stability

When school trustee elections for Libby and Troy were held last week, Lincoln County Election Administrator Melanie Howell was back running the show.

Howell returned to the job May 1 after she was put on administrative leave March 31. At the time, county Clerk and Recorder Corinna Brown didn’t say why Howell was put on leave, but said her office would be managing the elections with help from election office assistant Sierra Gustin.

Howell spoke to The Western News on Election Night, Tuesday, May 6, about the situation and her return to the job she was hired to do in May 2023.

“I’m happy for the voters and for the support I received,” Howell said. “It’s been really hard not knowing what would happen, but now it’s time to move forward and do the best we can. A lot of people stepped up to make sure this election was held.”

Howell also provided a report at the county commissioners meeting Wednesday.

“Corrina (Brown) blessed us with a good handoff from the work she and her staff had done prior to the election,” Howell told the commissioners. “We had 246 ballots that were undeliverable, many to seasonal addresses, and we had 55 ballots from Libby and 27 from Troy that were postmarked too late, but we can’t control that.”

Howell believes her return to her job has a lot to do with a measure introduced by Montana House of Representatives member Tom Millett, R-Marion. Millett represents District 2, which includes sections of Lincoln and Flathead Counties.

House Bill 293, introduced Jan. 22, sought to have a election administrator report directly to the governing body of the county, specifically the county commissioners, as opposed to reporting to the clerk and recorder.

"I’m glad that HB 293 was overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor because it clarified the law (MCA 13-1-301) thereby allowing the Commissioners to make a well informed decision as to the best path forward for the administration of Lincoln County elections," Millett said in a statement to The Western News.

According to Montana Code Annotated 13-1-301, in part, the county clerk and recorder of each county is the election administrator unless the governing body of the county designates another official or appoints an election administrator.

In addition, the election administrator is responsible for the administration of all procedures relating to registration of electors and conduct of elections, shall keep all county records relating to elector registration and elections, and is the primary point of contact for the county with respect to the statewide voter registration list and implementation of other provisions of applicable federal law governing elections.

District 1 Commissioner Brent Teske is pleased something was worked out.

“I’m happy to have a less-conflicted resolution,” Teske said. “We didn’t find out about HB 293 until Senator Cuffe told us.

Howell said reporting to the commissioners and making decisions together will be better.

“The rotation is set so that I’ll report to Brent (Teske) first, then Jim Hammons and finally, Noel Duram,” Howell said. “My hope is for each of them to understand elections better and when they make a decision about a question I have, I’ll have to stick to it.”

Howell’s assistant, Sierra Gustin, will work full-time in the election department when they are preparing to hold an election. But during slower times, she’ll work in the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, which is dealing with not having enough help to perform its usual tasks.

Millett’s bill saw little opposition in the House and Senate and was signed May 1 by Gov. Greg Gianforte.

All parties are hopeful the recent resolution will bring stability to a department that has seen more than its fair share of trouble since 2020. 

Howell was hired to run the county’s elections in May 2023 following the resignation of Paula Buff. Buff, former Clerk and Recorder Robin Benson and another election office employee resigned in March 2023 following heightened tension between them and former County Commissioner Josh Letcher. 

Letcher alleged Buff falsified election documents at a March 1, 2023 meeting, though Benson said she had no idea of what documents Letcher was referring to and was not provided a copy of any specific documents.

Buff later sued the county, alleging she was constructively discharged.

“Constructive discharge” means the voluntary termination of employment by an employee because of a situation created by an act or omission of the employer which an objective, reasonable person would find so intolerable that voluntary termination is the only reasonable alternative. Buff also alleged acts and omissions by the county were “malicious.”

Buff’s case is set for a jury trial in December. 

Brown was appointed to take over the Clerk and Recorder job in March 2023 and won election to the position in 2024.

While they seem ready to move forward, Brown and Howell have butted heads previously. In July 2024, Howell sought a split from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office. She cited various reasons at a July 10, 2024, commission meeting, including election security and to avoid confusion for voters. 

Howell is the fourth person to hold the election administrator title since 2020. Buff was on the job from 2021 to 2023. Before her, Chris Nelson served from August 2020 to November 2020. He resigned following the general election that year.

Nelson replaced longtime election administrator Leigh Riggleman, who resigned in 2020 while the commissioners were indecisive over holding an all mail-in election, meant to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, or a traditional poll election.