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Public commenters call for better outreach as mail-in voting and turnout concerns surface
Summary
At the July 21 Kalispell council meeting, multiple speakers said mail-in ballots and limited public notice reduce civic engagement; one resident read national news headlines alleging isolated mail-ballot fraud and urged the council to improve outreach about city actions and budgets.
Kalispell — Several people who spoke during the public-comment period of the July 21 City Council meeting urged the council to improve public outreach and reconsider how mail-in ballots affect civic engagement.
"People don't know who you are. They don't know what their city council does or who you are as people," said Gracie Stogsdale, a Kalispell resident, who urged the council to do more to inform constituents about meetings and policy decisions. Stogsdale said she had previously testified about election-promotion funding and that she did not use the word "widespread" when describing fraud, but read multiple news headlines alleging specific instances of mail-in ballot fraud in other states.
Stogsdale noted the city's $180,000,000 proposed budget and said few residents had spoken at the previous budget hearing. "The proposed budget for this year is over a $180,000,000 and I was the only person to speak on it last time," she said, arguing residents should be better informed about spending that affects them.
Kyle Voigtlander, a candidate for Ward 3, said he agreed with concerns about a 100% mail-in voting approach and said "People have a right to go in and vote in person, put their ballot directly into the elections box." Councilors later confirmed that voters can still drop ballots in person at the elections office.
Speakers linked low in-person turnout to weaker awareness of local government, and asked the city to use clearer, more frequent public notices — posting meeting notices and engagement opportunities in places where older or less digitally connected residents will see them. Council members said residents can sign up for email notices and that the planning process also posts materials on an "Engaged Kalispell" page linked from the planning page on the city's website.
No formal policy changes were proposed during the July 21 meeting. Council members and city staff encouraged residents to register for official notice lists and to use in-person ballot-drop options if they prefer to vote that way.
