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Elections administrator reports low turnout, commissioners sign canvass and authorize mileage reimbursement
Summary
County elections administrator Julie Hancock presented May 20 canvass results (low turnout), discussed election costs, and commissioners approved signature of the canvass and reimbursed an employee's mileage for emergency post-election travel.
Julie Hancock, Bannock County elections administrator, reported on the May 20 election canvass. She described turnout as low in parts of the county (about 3% in the Auditorium district, about 24% in portions of the southern county where ballot items drew more interest). Hancock estimated the county's total cost to run the election at roughly $50,000, including staffing 54 of 57 precincts; she said that equated to about $19 per ballot based on a roughly 2,400 turnout figure she cited. She noted incumbents won contested races and two levies failed.
Commissioners moved to sign and accept the canvass for the May 20 election; the motion was approved by voice vote ("Aye"). Commissioners and Hancock discussed public requests that the county advertise local taxing-district elections and reaffirmed that the county performs required legal notices and posts information on its website; targeted outreach is the responsibility of the taxing district or candidates.
Hancock also raised a reimbursement issue: an elections staffer who used her personal vehicle after hours to deliver ballots and run tabulation equipment submitted a mileage reimbursement request. Commissioners discussed whether recurring emergency mileage requests could become a policy problem, noted the staffer was addressing a first-time urgent need, and approved reimbursement by motion and voice vote. The meeting record did not show a detailed mileage total; one commissioner said the amount appeared to be "less than $52." Commissioners asked that future operational plans reduce the need for ad-hoc personal-vehicle use, including making extra county vehicles available on election day.
