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Election administrator proposes removing two drop boxes, keeping Eureka site; commissioners ask for more outreach
Summary
Facing a shortage of election judges and nearly $18,684 in staffing costs for two back-to-back elections, the county election administrator recommended removing the Troy and Libby drop boxes while retaining the Eureka box due to postal-service issues; commissioners requested more outreach and to consider a single-resolution approach before acting.
Melanie, Lincoln County’s election administrator, asked the board on Feb. 11 to remove two ballot dropbox locations — the Troy dispatch office and the Libby Sheriff's Office — citing staffing shortages and judge-wage costs for two consecutive elections that together total about $18,683.70.
Melanie told commissioners MCA 13-19-307 authorizes the election administrator to designate places of deposit and said the office would keep the Eureka Law Enforcement Office box because postal service there is limited. She provided usage numbers from the 2025 election: 106 ballots from Troy, 207 from the sheriff’s office, and more than 1,000 at the election office. The Troy box, she said, was largely used by hand-delivery and many Troy residents instead bring ballots to the election office.
"Maintaining all three dropbox sites would further strain our limited resources and that could jeopardize compliance with statutory staffing requirements," Melanie said, adding that the Troy box receives little usage relative to the cost and that the Eureka site must remain because mail service is infrequent there.
Commissioners balanced convenience concerns with legal compliance and cost. One commissioner said Troy is a particular concern because remote residents use that site when in town, while others pointed out that ballots can still be mailed or hand-delivered to the election office, and that a dropbox is available at each polling location on election day. The board discussed conducting outreach in Troy and obtaining input from legislators; one commissioner said he planned to consult affected residents in his district before a final decision.
No final resolution was passed at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to draft a single resolution that would remove any designated boxes the board chooses to close and keep the remaining ones; they scheduled further discussion and public outreach before voting.
