The Cascade County Commission has unanimously appointed a new interim elections administrator after stripping the duties from the county’s clerk and recorder in December.
Beatrice Deveraux Biddick was selected to oversee the county’s elections until a permanent, nonpartisan administrator is hired.
Biddick is currently second-in-command to Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant, who was elected last year.
The commission voted to remove Merchant’s election administration duties after she was accused of mismanaging the county’s voting procedures, including in two lawsuits filed earlier this year.
Before the county hired her, Biddick was part of a group that raised unsubstantiated claims concerning election integrity, calling on officials to count all ballots by hand.
Every statewide office, two U.S. House seats, a U.S. Senate seat and many local offices will be up for election in 2024.
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Great Falls Public Schools’ trustees are asking Cascade County commissioners to take over election duties from the clerk and recorder’s office. The trustees cite a strained relationship with Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant, as well as concerns over her handling of the school election in May.
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Voters in Great Falls went to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to increase taxpayer funding for the Great Falls Public Library. The vote is a test of the new county clerk and recorder's ability to hold an error-free election.
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Four county residents filed a lawsuit May 26 alleging that Sandra Merchant mailed ballots for a May 2 irrigation district election after a legal deadline had passed and failed to provide signature and secrecy envelopes.
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A Cascade County judge has appointed a monitor for an upcoming local election, agreeing the county election office needs more oversight after allegations of recent errors.
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Cascade County District Court says it will consider a request from the Great Falls Public Library to appoint a monitor for the library’s upcoming mill levy election.
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The Great Falls Public Library Wednesday asked a court to appoint a monitor to ensure its upcoming mill levy election is secure and valid.
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A citizen committee in Cascade County filed a complaint with the state’s top political watchdog alleging ethics violations in the county’s election’s office.
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A group of Cascade County residents, including a former county commissioner, announced the formation of an ad-hoc committee to monitor upcoming special elections. The committee formed after the Cascade County elections administrator last month said her office would face difficulty administering five upcoming special elections.