Misinformation from county and state election departments continue to plague the process in Montana.

In Lincoln County, absentee voters who received a ballot and envelope to return it in also received a note that instructed them to sign their ballot.

Not only is the direction incorrect, but it raises the issues of revealing a voter’s identity and whether the ballot would be accepted.

Election Administrator Melanie Howell spoke to The Western News Monday morning to address some misinformation and how the mistake occurred.

"The note that instructed voters to sign their ballot came from the Montana Secretary of State's Office. When I looked at it, I didn't think anything of it and we printed them and put them in the envelopes," Howell said. "Some voters understood it (the incorrect note) while others didn't."

According to current information on the Montana Secretary of State’s website at https://votemt.gov/absentee-ballot/, directions for absentee voters instruct them to placed the voted ballot in the secrecy envelope, place it in the return signature envelope, then sign, date and write your birth year in the dedicated space on the return envelope.

Voters are instructed to mail their ballots at least one week before Election Day or drop off the ballot at the county election office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 2.

The Secretary of State's Office replied to an inquiry about the mistake, but didn't acknowledge any mistake involving signing absentee ballots. It did provide information for absentee voters. 

While The Western News was in the Election Department, a voter arrived, saying she needed another ballot because she had signed hers by mistake. Another prospective voter, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Western News that he received two voting packages in the mail, one each for he and his wife.

"The ballots I received were for registered Democrat or Libertarian voters, but I am a Republican, so I needed to come here to get the correct ballot," he said. "My wife is a registered Democrat, so hers were OK, but it makes you wonder what's going on."

Howell also addressed ways to correct the situation.

"Ballots signed by voters would invalidate it, but the resolution board can validate the ballot, which would be duplicated on a new, unsigned ballot," she said.

Howell said voters who mistakenly signed their ballots will need to come to the Election Department office in Libby to get a new ballot. The office is located in the basement of the county Annex Building at 418 Mineral Avenue.

Howell said she has shared on the county Election Department Facebook page how voters should sign and list their birth date on the affirmation envelope. Those posts appeared between May 12 and May 15.

Due to new laws approved by the Montana legislature and Gov. Greg Gianforte, voters are required to sign and provide their birth date on the return envelope for their ballot.

Proponents of the new measures argued it was necessary for election integrity and to prevent voter fraud.

While the problems surrounding the county’s elections in the last several years were varied, the Election Department has been dogged by other issues.

At the May 13 county commission meeting, Howell raised a few eyebrows when she spoke during the public comment portion. She was not on the scheduled agenda and she identified herself by name and being with the election department. Howell then explained that District Court Judge Adam Larsen granted a preliminary injunction Friday, May 8, against Senate Bill 490, a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka. 

The ruling meant the state’s existing rules stay in place, allowing voters to register to vote on Election Day as long as they are in line by the close of voting hours. Cuffe’s bill tightened the deadline for voters to register to vote to noon on the day of the election, and eliminated registration on the Monday before an election, but opened it up on the prior Saturday.

The Montana Federation of Public Employees sued, citing a Montana Supreme Court decision in 2024 that struck down a law passed in 2021 eliminating Election Day voter registration. 

Larsen wrote in his order that “For nearly two decades prior to the enactment of SB 490, Montana voters have utilized election day registration throughout the entirety of Election Day,” and it has become “wildly popular,” and its use has grown over time.

While she spoke at the county commission meeting, Howell cited a comment by Montana Secretary of State Christy Jacobsen’s spokesperson, Richie Melby.

“This type of mass confusion is why courts shouldn’t get involved when the election is already underway,” Melby said, pointing out that the Supreme Court has blocked district court rulings in similar scenarios. “You can see why it’s challenging for election officials to fully prepare for an election with the back-and-forth judicial tennis match instigated by East Coast activists.”

District 1 Commissioner Brent Teske followed Howell’s comments by stating, “I want to make clear to the audience that the political commentary is not your commentary, that that’s coming from who? The political commentary about the judges and all that other stuff.”

Howell replied, “It’s from the court docket and the Secretary of State’s office.”

Howell added that some voters had already expressed an interest in registering on Saturday, May 30, but Larsen’s ruling likely ended that.

Howell did tell The Western News that her office being open on the Saturday before Election Day is a big deal.

"A lot of people work during the week and Saturday is a good day for us to be open so they can come in and register," she said.

In November 2023, Howell’s first general election was marred by a mistake with absentee ballots for Eureka Town Council. Nearly 400 absentee voters were sent ballots instructing them to choose one candidate for Eureka City Council. But there were two open seats. 

Howell confirmed to the Tobacco Valley News the mistake happened within the elections department during the proofing process. She said her department received the correct information from Eureka and the printer was not responsible for the error. Howell told The Western News that new ballots were mailed out after the mistake was found.

Howell was hired in May 2023 following the mass resignation of the election department, including administrator Paula Buff, and Clerk and Recorder Robin Benson. 

Benson shared her resignation letter with The Western News, accusing the commissioners of mistreatment. Former county commissioner Josh Letcher said Buff falsified election documents, but never provided any evidence.

In her letter of resignation, Benson wrote that, “There is zero respect or even common courtesy from commissioners to county election employees or myself. My job has never been political, both on the Clerk and Recorder side and especially elections. Now, politics is being shoved down my throat and I refuse to comply with someone else’s world view.”

Benson also asserted that election staff were fearful of attending commissioner meetings.

“They can no longer do their jobs,” Benson wrote. “There is zero support from the commissioners.”

Buff later sued the county for “constructive discharge.” It means the voluntary termination of employment by an employee because of a situation created by an act or omission of the employer which an objective, reasonable person would find so intolerable that voluntary termination is the only reasonable alternative. Buff also alleged acts and omissions by the county were “malicious.”

Buff and the county later settled out of court. She now runs the Flathead County Elections Department after her hiring in December 2025.

In 2025, Howell was put on administrative leave about a month before local school trustee elections. County Clerk and Recorder Corinna Brown didn’t disclose why Howell was placed on paid leave, but said her office would be managing the elections with help from election office assistant Sierra Gustin.

In a interview with The Western News at the time, Howell said before she and Gustin had to move to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office from their office in the county Annex building following the November 2024 general election, Brown was frequenting the Election Office on a regular basis and had emailed Howell up to 28 times in a day.’

“We were getting calls from other counties asking why she (Brown) was so involved when she was actively on the ballot. I could only wonder if she was trying to see who was voting for her,” Howell said.

Three election judges spoke on behalf of Howell. One was her mother, Linda Ralph, who moved to Lincoln County in 2023 and first served as an election judge in the November 2023 general election.

Brown is not seeking re-election for clerk and recorder in 2026. The race is between Republican primary candidates Travis Sigea, who is, incidentally, Gustin’s brother, and former county deputy clerk and recorder Crystal Denton. Denton worked under Brown for 1 1/2 years before resigning.

Brown and Howell butted heads previously. In July 2024, Howell sought a split from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office. She cited various reasons at a July 10, 2024, commissioners meeting, including election security and to avoid confusion for voters.

But prior to that, commission meeting minutes indicated that Howell and the commissioners violated Montana law when she failed to provide the names of election judges 30 days prior to the June 4, 2024, primary election. At the June 12 meeting, Howell presented a letter regarding the appointment of election judges and the commission approved it. 

Howell rankled some voters earlier this year when she proposed at a Feb. 11 commission meeting closing drop boxes in Troy and at the county sheriff’s office in Libby. 

Troy mayor T.J. Boswell was opposed to removing the drop box in Troy.

He cited calls from constituents, convenience for residents and 24/7 access. He also said the location is secure and there hadn’t been any prior issues, according to sheriff Darren Short.

Howell said her interpretation that drop boxes had to be staffed by two election judges from the time ballots were mailed on May 8 through Election Day, June 2, would cost the county $18,683.70 in staffing. According to meeting minutes, election judge Linda Ralph, Howell’s mother, said eliminating underused boxes, particularly in Troy, would streamline operations, reduce costs and have minimal impact on voters.

But that matter was already settled last year.

At the Feb. 18, 2026, meeting, the matter was discussed again and Teske explained that the issue was brought to the county attorney, Marcia Boris, in June 2025. She then told Howell, after looking at the statutes, the drop boxes only needed to be manned on Election Day. That would include a healthy reduction in expenses.