Voters to decide nonpartisan, district elections

Voters in Lake County will decide on two issues that could change the way they vote in the future this Nov. 7.

The Local Review Study Commission have gained public feedback through various meetings and presented their findings in a final report regarding elections by district and nonpartisan elections.

The purpose of the study commission, as defined in state law, is "…to study the existing form and power of our local government services and to compare them with other forms available under the laws of the state."

The report is the result of information gleaned from local government officials, organizations and citizens. The majority of the commission recommends two amendments to the current form of government to be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot. One amendment would be to provide for non-partisan election of Lake County Officials. The second would provide for the nomination and election of Lake County commissioners by district rather than at large, as is currently the case.

These amendments were not unanimously passed by the commission, the report notes.

Bonnie Mueller, of the study commission, said that she was the only one of the three commissioners to oppose the amendments.

She opposes a non-partisan election on the grounds that a candidate's political affiliation is sometimes one of the only things you know about a candidate.

She said people tend to argue that it's a small county and everyone knows each other, so there is no real need to identify a candidate by their party, but she said that's quickly changing.

"If we're going to double our population, we're not going to know each other anymore," she said.

Steve Robinson, who serves on the county's Republican party, says party affiliation is important.

He feels that labels are useful in determining a candidate's values.

"It's important for people to know where they stand," he said.

And the issue itself is very much a partisan issue, Robinson explained. He says the amendment is favored largely by Democrats who are outnumbered 2-to-1 in Lake County.

That's why the Republican party has taken a stance against it, he says, because a non-partisan election would only hide a candidate's party affiliation.

Mueller opposes the second ballot amendment, which provides for the nomination and election of Lake County commissioners by district rather than at-large, as is currently the case. She says voters should be able to vote on all three commissioners, because all three make decisions that affect all county residents.

Restricting voters to one district would "Disenfranchise me on my right to vote on my representatives," she said.

As for a voting by commissioner district, Robinson feels that it is a "dangerous system." To limit elections to a district would put voters at a disadvantage. It would mean that in two out of three elections, "you're not voting for someone who is making a decision for you," he said.

"I don't think this works in the best interest of the county," Robinson said.

Commissioners make executive decisions that affect everyone, therefore they should be voted on at large, he added.

Commissioner Wyman McDonald made the motion to put the amendments on the ballot. He explained that the majority of tax money, economic and political powers are largely in the Polson area, and said the county is becoming a "community of the haves and the have nots."

"There are too many poor people and Indian people disenfranchised by the political power machine," he said referring to both the initiative to vote by district and nonpartisan election of county commissioners.

On the partisan issue in particular, he feels that partisan politics only divides our community.

"The divisiveness in the community, county, state, nation and internationally is growing worse," he said.

He said this is recognized widely by political pundits and experts.

Dick Gallagher wouldn't comment which way he would vote on the amendments, only saying that he feels it's important to have them on the ballot. The final meeting addressing the change in election was held in April and the house was largely divided on having the amendments on the ballot, he said.

Through their study, he said the commission found five elected officials who indicated that they could have run as nonpartisan and that enough people expressed said they'd like to see a districted election to make the amendments ballot worthy.

"I want the people to decide on the issue," he said. "We have the vehicle in this commission to let the people decide.

"It's their vote in the booth," he added.