Vote-by-mail elections are planned in May for two special districts and 17 fire districts in Flathead County.

People who want to file for openings on any of the volunteer boards can pick up candidate packets at the Flathead County elections office on the first floor of the courthouse or go to the elections office website at http://flathead.mt.gov/election/ to download paperwork.

Ballots are to be mailed to all registered voters in the 19 affected districts about 20 days before the May 8 deadline to return ballots, elections office Supervisor Monica Eisenzimer said.

The deadline for voters to register to vote in the special elections is April 9.

The deadline to file to run for any of the offices is 5 p.m. Feb. 23. Candidates must submit petitions of nomination, affidavits and oaths of candidacy to the elections office by that deadline.

Petitions of nomination require the signatures of at least five registered voters in the district in which someone is running for office, Eisenzimer said.

It’s possible that not all of the open positions will result in elections, Eisenzimer said. If only one person files for a position, that person is declared the winner and no voting occurs. If no one files for board spots, the county commissioners appoint board members after seeking volunteers.

Board openings are:

 Lakeside Community Council, two positions, three-year terms.

 Bigfork land use advisory council, four positions, three-year terms.

 Badrock Fire District , two positions, three-year terms.

 Big Mountain Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Bigfork Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Blankenship Fire District, one position, three-year term.

 Columbia Falls Fire District, one position, three-year term, one position, one-year term.

 Coram/West Glacier Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Creston Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Evergreen Fire District, one position, three-year term, one position, one-year term.

 Marion Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Martin City Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Olney Fire District, one position, two-year term, two positions, three-year terms, two positions, one-year terms.

 Smith Valley Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 Somers Fire District, one position, three-year term.

 South Kalispell Fire District, two positions, three-year terms.

 West Valley Fire District, three positions, three-year terms.

 Whitefish Fire Service Area, two positions, three-year terms.