Good morning. In this issue, we look at how many ballots have been returned to the local elections office so far, along with tips for gearing up for Election Day. Also, the city plans to take action on a controversial Homeland Security grant next week and is seeking the community’s help identifying affordable housing ideas. Oh, and Helena’s annual bridal expo is on the horizon.
But first, a weather preview ☀️
This week starts off with temperatures warming up Monday, with a high of 47 degrees, light winds and partly cloudy skies, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Rex Akins. Tuesday, we’ll see mostly sunny skies with a high of 50 degrees, and Wednesday will remain sunny with a high of 46 degrees. Overnight lows will hover in the low 30s and high 20s.
Lewis and Clark County voting, by the numbers
Election day is tomorrow, and by the time you’re reading this, it will be too late to mail ballots, so you have until 8 p.m. election night to get those turned back in to designated polling locations or to the Lewis and Clark County Elections office in the City-County Building.
I spoke with the county elections division supervisor, Connor Fitzpatrick, last week to review some ballot statistics and see how voter turnout is shaping up this midterm. Fitzpatrick’s comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
HTW: So Connor, how many absentee ballots have been sent out for this general election? How many have been returned?
Fitzpatrick: 36,650 absentee ballots were sent out, and we’re a little over 21,000 returned (57%) and accepted ballots (as of Friday morning).
HTW: Can you explain what an accepted ballot means and how many ballots have been rejected so far?
Fitzpatrick: Those are folks whose ballots have been brought into our office, received by our office, the signature has been verified and matched, and [then] they are ready to go on to the stage where we separate the ballot out of the secrecy envelope in preparation for counting. The rejected are the folks who have signature issues; it looks like we have 63 of those as we speak. So not too many, thankfully.
HTW: What do you do with those rejected ballots?
Fitzpatrick: The voter does have the ability to remedy those. The same day that we go, “Okay, yeah, this has been rejected,” we send out a letter going, “Hey, your ballot was rejected. Here are your options.” We’re also trying to call everyone if they’ve provided us a phone number. We say, “You have until 8 p.m. on Election Day or 5 p.m. the day after Election Day to come by our office and get that rectified.”
HTW: So when does counting start?
Fitzpatrick: The counting itself will begin on Monday.
HTW: For comparison, what did voter turnout look like in previous elections?
Fitzpatrick: For the 2022 general election, we ended up with 33,572 ballots cast total, which was just shy of 65% turnout. Ballots cast total for the 2024 general election was 42,691, which puts us at about 79.5% turnout.
HTW: What would you like voters to know for getting their ballots in?
Fitzpatrick: So, for anyone who needs to do a registration update, they have until noon on Monday because then we have to print supplemental registers for the polls, but they can come in on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as well. If anybody has received a letter from our office saying that you mailed in or emailed a voter registration and need to come by the office, we encourage folks to do that sooner rather than later, of course, with that noon deadline in mind for Monday.
Folks who have an absentee ballot, we are going to be open for drop-off until 6:30 p.m. on Monday. If you need a replacement ballot, we can issue you one until 6:30 p.m. on Monday. The City-County Building will be open for drop-off, but we will also have a drive-up drop-off on Election Day. You won’t even have to go into the building. You’ll just need to drop it off with our folks in the parking lot behind the Law and Justice Center building, at the corner of Lawrence Street and Park Avenue.
Public Notice 🧐
City closures for Election Day
ℹ️ Some city offices will be closed for Election Day. Garbage collection and Capital Transit buses still operate as normal. Bill Robers Golf Course and Muni’s restaurant will be open.
🗓️ Tuesday, Nov. 3
⏰ All day
📍City administrative offices, Helena Civic Center office, the municipal court and the transfer station.
City commission to consider Homeland Security grant again
ℹ️ The commission will consider accepting a Department of Homeland Security grant for $53,326 that would fund security improvements in the City-County and Law and Justice buildings. The issue was brought before the commission last month but faced public opposition after community members raised concerns about the grant’s terms and conditions. At that time, the commission voted to table the acceptance of the grant.
🗓️ Monday, Nov. 9
⏰ 6 p.m.
📍 City-County Building
🔗 You can read the details of the grant in the Sept. 14 meeting agenda packet.
County committee approves nearly $195,000 in opioid abatement funds
ℹ️ The Lewis and Clark Opioid Abatement Governance Committee announced last week the five local organizations that were awarded funds to reduce opioid-related harm and improve prevention, addiction treatment and recovery efforts, according to a city press release. The funds, which come from the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, totaled about $194,540.
- Intermountain Deaconess Children’s Services received about $63,840
- Montana Legal Services Association received $20,000
- Florence Crittenton Family Services received about $51,700
- LightHouse Montana received $12,000
- YWCA Helena received $47,000
🔗 Visit the MOAT website to read more details about the funded programs.
City seeks proposals for affordable housing initiative
ℹ️ The city of Helena is seeking informal proposals for its new Affordable Housing Community Showcase, an initiative to gather ideas for adding attainable and affordable homes in the community. Proposals can range from housing designs and exhibits to funding strategies, partnerships and other approaches.
🗓️ Proposal deadline: Friday, Nov. 20, by noon
🔗 Visit the city’s website to learn more about the request for proposals.
Helena Happenings 📅
Lectures & Learning: Carroll College will host the program “Truth, Trauma and Transformation: The Legacy of Native Boarding Schools and Paths to Healing” Friday, Nov. 6. The presentation begins at 2 p.m. at the lower campus center and will feature Dr. Cherith Smith, a member of the Rosebud Sioux and Piikani Nations, along with faith and education representatives. The event is free and open to the public. Zoom participation is also available.
Arts & Culture: Musical duo Boyd Meets Girl will perform at the Myrna Loy Thursday, Nov. 5, from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Classical guitarist Rupert Boyd and cellist Laura Metcalf will perform arrangements from all genres with a classical twist. Tickets are $28 and can be purchased on the Myrna’s website.
Getting Married?: The Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds will host the Capital City Bridal Expo Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is the one-stop shop for all things wedding, featuring vendors for venues, DJ’s, flowers and food. Tickets are $10 at the door.
