The Great Falls Public Library Wednesday asked a court to appoint a monitor to ensure its upcoming mill levy election is secure and valid.
The petition filed in the Cascade County district court alleges clerk and recorder Sandra Merchant conducted an election in early May that violated state law. Attorney Raph Graybill argues in the filing that Merchant’s office disenfranchised voters, improperly verified signatures on absentee ballots, and distributed inaccurate voting information.
Graybill says the library is asking for a court-appointed election monitor to ensure the results of its June 6th election aren’t invalidated due to administrative errors.
“This is not a lawsuit against anyone personally, it’s not about politics. The only thing that the library is interested in is a fair election,” Graybill says.
The petition contains a sworn statement from a Great Falls resident who says Merchant denied her the ability to vote in the Great Falls Public Schools election, despite living within the district’s boundaries.
The library says it would experience immediate financial injury if the levy is approved by voters, but overturned on a potential legal challenge of the election results.
Cascade County attorney Josh Racki told MTPR the county had no comment, but that Merchant would be represented in court by the Montana Association of Counties.
The petition notes that Merchant’s office denied the library’s initial request for a monitor.
