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Gallatin County commission moves to create appointed election administrator and new elections department
Summary
After extended public comment, the Gallatin County Commission advanced a resolution to create an appointed county election administrator and a separate elections department effective Jan. 1, 2027; supporters cited professionalization and succession planning, opponents warned it would remove direct voter oversight.
The Gallatin County Commission moved to adopt a resolution authorizing the appointment of a county election administrator and the formal creation of a county elections department, with the change slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2027 and election duties removed from the Clerk and Recorder’s office at the end of business on Dec. 31, 2026.
Clerk and Recorder Eric Semrad presented the resolution and cited Montana Code Annotated 13-1-301 as the statutory authority allowing a county to appoint an election administrator in place of the clerk-and-recorder serving as election administrator. Semrad said the change would professionalize the role by establishing minimum education and experience requirements and would allow the county to plan succession for a technically complex office.
The proposal drew a split public response at the hearing.…
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