Yellowstone County

Hoping to get meaningful Montana election results by the time you go to bed tonight? If so, prepare to be disappointed.

Missoula County Elections Administrator Dayna Causby wants to set realistic expectations for voters seeking election returns tonight.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The head of the state health department says child protection workers in Billings are facing "crisis level caseloads" leading the Division of Child and Family Services to decide to close its Livingston office and move that office's caseworker jobs to Billings.

Election administrators around Montana report fairly high turnout for the special election so far. Cascade and Missoula Counties had received about 70 percent of absentee ballots by 3:00 p.m. Yellowstone County reports that about half of registered voters have already voted.

Several county administrators say voters have called wanting to change their votes after last night’s incident.

On Wednesday, Montana’s Judicial Branch recommended adding more judges to understaffed county courts. 

The proposal brought before the Judicial Redistricting Commission asks for five new judges, at a cost of just over $2 million.