Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Election Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lincoln County elections office asks for extra staff and infrastructure fixes as voter rolls surge
Summary
Elections staff told commissioners the office is managing 13,500 active voters with just two staff, cited cybersecurity praise from federal assessors, and requested one additional full-time clerk and infrastructure improvements (backup power, possible standalone server) ahead of a heavy 2026 election cycle.
Lincoln County’s elections administrator briefed the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 10 about rapid voter-roll growth, infrastructure strain and urgent staffing needs.
The office reported 13,500 active registered voters — making Lincoln County the eighth-largest voting county in Montana by voter count — and said the workload includes multiple school and special-district elections, two federal contests (primary and general) and numerous levies. Officials said the office received recognition from the Federal Election Commission for overseas/military voter administration and performed well in a recent cybersecurity assessment that reduced prior findings from about 15 items to two.
Despite positive reviews, elections staff said persistent power outages and intermittent internet in their basement office are creating operational risk during critical tasks such as list maintenance, candidate filing and judge training. Staff requested one additional full-time elections clerk/secretary, arguing short-term temps are insufficient because security and access training can take many weeks. Commissioners acknowledged budget constraints and asked staff to pursue available grants and discuss options with the Secretary of State’s office; the Secretary of State’s office offered assistance and outreach to the county.
Staff also noted a Feb. 18 deadline for making GIS/boundary changes ahead of a federal election and urged commissioners to act on any boundary updates before that date.
No immediate hiring decision was made; commissioners asked elections staff to continue searching for grants and return with a concrete proposal and cost estimate.
