Citing a lack of candidates, the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees has the option to cancel the election for one of the board positions.

Board president Bob Nystuen’s Flathead/Glacier High School District position is up for election this year, but Nystuen is the only candidate who filed to run.

“The historic precedent has been when there is only the amount of candidates that there are positions, the board has voted to cancel that opportunity for the voters to vote,” Nystuen said. “Otherwise what you’d end up with is ballots being sent to thousands of people with just one name.”

The board will vote by telephone conference at 5 p.m. today to determine if the election for Nystuen’s seat will go forward.

Monica Settles, FVCC election coordinator, said the vote to cancel an election was relatively common and supported in the Montana Code.

“It’s an election by acclamation,” she said. “If [the board] decides not to cancel the election, write-in candidates are always a possibility.”

Montana Annotated Code 20-3-313 allows for trustees to cancel an election if the number of candidates is equal to or less than the number of positions to be filled. If the election is canceled, the filed candidates will win election by acclamation.

The deadline for filing was in March.

Two other FVCC trustee seats are open this election cycle in the combined Bigfork-Columbia Falls-Whitefish high school districts.

Incumbents John Phelps and Tom Harding are being challenged by five candidates: Marion Foley of Martin City, John Fuller of Whitefish, R. Scott Sorenson of Whitefish, Thomas Brett Sward of Bigfork and Robert Webb of Hungry Horse.

Harding is the longest-tenured board member, having served since 1990. Phelps has been on the board since 2007 and Nystuen since 2002.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.