The Monday Memo

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Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s column:

  • Canvass Of Election Results
  • Cascade County Commission Meeting
  • One More Thing

CANVASS OF ELECTION RESULTS:

Friday I wrote about the Cascade County Canvass Of Election Results saying it is a circus. It’s embarrassing. It’s more proof that changes need to be made in the Elections Office.

The Daily Montanan published a story about the mess on Friday afternoon that gives readers a good idea of what was going on during the canvass. Here are the opening two graphs:

Cascade County Commissioners hit pause this week on completing the canvass for the recent municipal election over questions of ballot counts out of Belt and Cascade.
Taking about the same time it would to roast an 18-pound turkey, the commission hand-tallied the election machine’s results per precinct, in what former county officials have called an unprecedented nearly five-hour exercise Wednesday night. This method of canvassing differs from how other counties canvass, and at least one expert said it wasn’t effectively checking results.

Check out the rest of the story HERE.

CASCADE COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING:

There will be a Cascade County Commission meeting on Tuesday (November 28) at 9:30 a.m. in the commission chambers. On the agenda is a “Motion to Approve or Disapprove” Ordinance 23-01 “An Ordinance Establishing Procedure in Cascade County for the Annual Selection of the Presiding Officer of the Cascade County Board of Commissioners.” (Source)

Here is the wording of the new Ordinance:

The Cascade County Ordinance 21-01 is hereby rescinded and replaced by this Ordinance.
That during the first Commission meeting following the effective date of this Ordinance and thereafter during the first Commission meeting of each new calendar year, the members of the Cascade County Commission will elect a member to serve as Presiding Officer (f.k.a. Chair) from their own number for a one-year term. (Source Pages 263/64)

The Electric reported on this issue back on November 14 with comments about current chair Rae Grulkowski from Commissioner Joe Briggs:

Briggs said the presiding officer runs meetings and has to exhibit leadership.
He said Grulkowski serving has [sic] chair was by nature of the current ordinance and “she does not have the experience of running the meetings and the leadership experience.”
Briggs said that “has shown in her ability to manage the commission. We are not getting things done in a timely fashion. We have a problem right now.”

All three commissioners are Republicans. Some probably think they are “more Republican” than others.

This change should be approved.

ONE MORE THING:

As you may know, Dolly Parton, who is 77 years old, performed at halftime of the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving. She wore a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit.

NFL Memes published a photo of Dolly singing and had this to say about her performance:

When Dolly Parton came out I thought it was the Cowboys honoring a cheerleader from their last Super Bowl.

Ouch…

By the way, the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl in 1996.

## HAVE A GREAT WEEK ##

5 thoughts on “The Monday Memo”

  1. I’ve read a few articles & was provided an email written by one of the persons involved in the canvass. Many years ago I was a substitute for one of the commissioners for the canvass. Rina had some paperwork, provided copies & just told us totals. There was I remember, a one vote discrepancy in the totals. It could not be resolved and would not have changed the outcome. The Merchant camp repeats & repeats, “state law.” I did a quick read of the MT Code & would like a county attorney to weight in on if those election laws regarding the canvass were being followed years before or now. Just haven’t read anything including a legal opinion. Maybe I’ve missed it.

    • Was wondering the same thing. What part of the law was not being followed. How does this new procedure now adhere to the law.And if the other counties in Montana are not doing what Merchant, Grulkowski, et al just forced our canvassers to do, is the entire state out oompliance? Seems like this might have come up somewhere else prior to this.I’m not a big believer that hand-tallying is more accurate than machine tallies. For instance every single time my entire life that my checkbook register did not match the bank statement it turned out the bank was right. Does State law really require a laborious hand tally in this day and age?

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