Candidates File to Run in School, Primary Elections New Rules for Registering, Absentee Voting
Author: mt43news staff reporter
Candidates File to Run in School, Primary Elections New Rules for Registering, Absentee Voting
MT43 News Staff Reporter
New faces and new rules should make the 2026 School District and Primary Races in Broadwater County very interesting. Filing for office closed March 4.
Jean M. Hodges of Townsend is running for the District #1 School Board position. Vanessa Flynn retired early from her 3-year term. Judy Gillespie filed for that empty position and will be elected by acclamation. Also running for 3-year terms are incumbents Jason Kool and Chase Ragen.
In county races, District #1 County Commissioner’s 6-year term is up for election. Incumbent Debi Randolph has filed again to run for the position. Running against her in the June 2 election are Audrey Walleser-Martin of Winston and Tim Ravndahl. The top two winners in this race will go to the general election on November 3.
For Broadwater County Sheriff and Corner’s office, Undersheriff Mark W. Wood put his hat in the race. Also filing as a candidate for the office is Luis Espinoza of Three Forks.
The County Treasurer and Superintendent of Schools office will be open, as current Treasurer Melissa Franks is not running again. Michelle Beebe will be a candidate for the office, as will be Leona Nelson, both of Townsend.
Uncontested county races include Clerk and Recorder, Elections Administrator and County Surveyor Angie Paulsen, who has filed to run again. Also running for their current offices are County Attorney Kevin Bratcher and Justice of the Peace Kirk Flynn.
New rules for voter registration, according to Elections Administrator Angie Paulsen, are notable: those who wish to register to vote may go to the Clerk and Recorder's office in the Courthouse the Saturday before the primary election between 8 a.m. and 5:00 pm. They may also register until noon on election day, but not the Monday before election day.
Laws enacted by the Montana Legislature changed the hours for registering because clerk and recorder offices in large population cities were finding themselves with long lines of people waiting to register in same-day registration, some until 4:00 a.m. on election day, Paulsen related.
A second, important change is that absentee voters must include the year of their birth on the affirmation envelope, as well as their signature and the date signed. Paulsen said her office will include a bright orange insert with the absentee’s instructions to note the change.
Candidate spotlight interviews will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, so voters will have an opportunity to learn more about those running for office. Along the same lines of voter information, Townsend Education Association, the teachers’ union, will be hosting a District School Board candidates’ forum on Wednesday, April 15, at 6:00 p.m. in the Library Community Room. The public is invited.
