Missoula County opens new elections center at fairgrounds
by Anne Hughes
The Missoula County is celebrating its new elections center at the Fairgrounds with an open house on Tuesday, October 13th at 1:30 p.m.
The public is invited to join Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, the Missoula County commissioners, Clerk & Recorder/Treasurer Vickie Zeier, and the County’s Election Advisory Committee at 1:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building at the Missoula County Fairgrounds to see the new space first hand.
Each major election proved more difficult than the last to accommodate with the limited space at the County Courthouse. Lines were getting longer for late and same day voter registration, and Vickie Zeier, Missoula County’s Elections Administrator, needed to accommodate the needs of her customers. “We just had more and more trouble keeping the lines short for folks who wanted to register to vote in the final days leading up to each election,” Zeier explains. “The wait time for people wanting to register and vote on Election Day last November was at least an hour. That’s not the experience I want voters in Missoula County to remember.”
The new elections center will provide election staff and voters more space, is more physically accessible than the County Courthouse, and provides more parking. The center also provides greater security to the electoral process by increasing the space available during tabulation. Security will also be enhanced with new security cameras funded by a grant from the Montana Secretary of State’s Office.
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The Missoula County is celebrating its new elections center at the Fairgrounds with an open house on Tuesday, October 13th at 1:30 p.m.
The public is invited to join Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, the Missoula County commissioners, Clerk & Recorder/Treasurer Vickie Zeier, and the County’s Election Advisory Committee at 1:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building at the Missoula County Fairgrounds to see the new space first hand.
Each major election proved more difficult than the last to accommodate with the limited space at the County Courthouse. Lines were getting longer for late and same day voter registration, and Vickie Zeier, Missoula County’s Elections Administrator, needed to accommodate the needs of her customers. “We just had more and more trouble keeping the lines short for folks who wanted to register to vote in the final days leading up to each election,” Zeier explains. “The wait time for people wanting to register and vote on Election Day last November was at least an hour. That’s not the experience I want voters in Missoula County to remember.”
The new elections center will provide election staff and voters more space, is more physically accessible than the County Courthouse, and provides more parking. The center also provides greater security to the electoral process by increasing the space available during tabulation. Security will also be enhanced with new security cameras funded by a grant from the Montana Secretary of State’s Office.
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