Butte‑Silver Bow clerk cancels local portion of primary; council may rescind by resolution

Clerk and Recorder Cindy Sherman told the council March 11 she has canceled the local portion of the county’s upcoming primary election for local offices where races are uncontested or have only two candidates, citing Montana Code Annotated authority for election administrators.

"This is my decision," Sherman said, explaining that several local commissioner races were uncontested or had two candidates, which under state statute would move the candidates directly to the general election. She said the county would still hold the federal and state primary contests.

Sherman told commissioners the choice reflected operational and budget factors: long ballots increase printing and vendor costs, the county’s ES&S ballot services charge by race and candidate count, and more staff time is required to adjudicate ballots and run elections. She said the governing body may rescind the administrative cancellation by passing a resolution and that doing so would require scheduling a special meeting.

Sherman offered to appear at any special meeting the council schedules to answer questions and said she would provide additional documentation on the statutory basis and cost estimates if commissioners request it.

No formal council action to rescind the cancellation was taken at the meeting. Sherman’s announcement prompted several commissioners to request that staff provide exact cost and taxable-value information and to remind the public that the clerk remains available to explain options and timelines.