Redistricting creates 'bubble' in the Canyon
By now, anyone who thinks they closely follow local elections is aware that, because of redistricting, Columbia Falls and Whitefish no longer share a state senate district.
But the impacts of redistricting can be significant right on down to the precinct level, as Martin City resident Marion Foley recently discovered.
Foley came in third among seven candidates running for two seats on the Flathead Valley Community College board of trustees on May 6. She came in just seven votes behind second-place finisher John Phelps, according to the final results.
What made the close election more frustrating for Foley was that some of her friends and neighbors in the Canyon told her they didn’t vote because of a change in their polling place.
When these people arrived at Canyon Elementary School to cast a ballot, they were told to go to Gateway Elementary School in Columbia Falls, but they had just drove past Columbia Falls on their way home from work, she was told.
Redistricting takes place every 10 years when political boundaries for elections are redrawn based on the most recent U.S. census. The process can be very political, and odd-shaped state house districts or precincts are said to be products of gerrymandering done to benefit one political party or the other.
A close look at Flathead County’s online GIS map shows that the urban areas of Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram, from the South Fork of the Flathead River to Lake Five, are generally within Precinct 23. An exception is a small section of land between Hungry Horse and Martin City.
What happened during the last redistricting process is that Precinct 14 — which includes the Columbia Heights, Badrock and Middle Road areas, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness — now bubbles up between Hungry Horse and Martin City, right on up to U.S. 2.
As a result, according to School District 6 clerk Dustin Zuffelato, 143 voters were displaced out of Precinct 23 into Precinct 14, leaving 1,196 voters in Precinct 23 and 803 voters in Precinct 14. Some of the displaced voters live in the Glacier Hills Drive area in Martin City.
According to FVCC president Jane Karas, polling places for their board elections are “set in conjunction with the school districts.” School District 6, which held a high school levy election on May 6, operated three polling places — at the West Glacier, Canyon Elementary and Gateway Elementary schools.
While voters in Precinct 23 — Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram — voted at Canyon Elementary, voters in Precinct 14 cast ballots at Gateway Elementary. That included the 143 displaced voters in the Canyon.
The school and college elections are over, but voters still need to be vigilant about changes brought about by redistricting when they vote in the June 3 primary election.
In the Canyon, voters in Precinct 23 will cast ballots at the Martin City Fire Hall, while voters in Precinct 14 will cast ballots at the Badrock Fire Hall. But other precinct-level boundary changes might exist, and voters should pay attention.
Flathead County election services manager Monica Eisenzimer said “courtesy confirmation cards” were sent to affected voters last fall and the media was informed of changes. The election department is not required to do that, she noted.
A sure way for registered voters to find out where they need to go to vote in legislative elections is available by visiting online at https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo. There are three lines to fill out — first name, last name and birth date. That’s all.
Voters without access to a computer can call the Flathead County Election Department at 758-5535 or 758-5536 or 758-2422 or find someone who has a computer.
Voters who want to know where to vote in school or college elections should contact the school or college administrative offices.