Flathead County certifies Nov. 4 municipal results; countywide bond passes, Columbia Falls school bond fails

Paula Buff, Flathead County election manager, presented the official canvass for the Nov. 4, 2025 all‑mail municipal general election and the board of county commissioners approved it on a unanimous voice vote.

Buff told the commissioners that of 69,162 eligible active registered voters in the county, 32,149 ballots were counted, yielding a turnout of 46.49%. The tally showed the countywide bond passed with roughly 57.08% voting yes and about 42.24% no; the Columbia Falls School District bond failed with about 31.72% yes and 67.93% no.

Buff said two ballots were rejected during the absentee verification process and described additional rejections tied to a new statutory requirement to record year of birth on the affirmation envelope. "With the passage of the new legislation, Flathead County did notice an initial uptick in overall ballot rejections," Buff said, referencing House Bill 719. She told the board 197 rejections were for missing year of birth and that many rejected ballots were later resolved by the provisional deadline.

Commissioners asked about signature envelopes and retention practices. Buff said affirmation envelopes and signature verification records are retained for 12 months for municipal elections and that staff scans rejected affirmations into voter profiles to support later review.

Why it matters: The canvass makes the county's results official and records how local bond measures and municipal races fared. Buff also flagged how recent statutory changes altered the mechanics of mail ballots and contributed to an initial spike in rejected envelopes; county staff said they worked to resolve many of those rejections before the provisional deadline.

The commission moved, seconded and approved the canvass; the certificate will be signed and filed as required under state law.