Flathead Joint Board election is not acceptable

The last few weeks you’ve heard radio announcements, newspaper articles, and a lot of rumors about the recent Flathead Joint Board of Control election. Contrary to what you hear, the FJBC won’t honor this election until “all” irrigators get a ballot. There are about 2,500 irrigators, 658 of those irrigators did not receive a ballot. That’s about 33 percent of irrigators who did not receive a ballot. Five hundred and twent nine in the Flathead District, 29 in the Camas area alone. Ask yourself, how many irrigators total in Camas area? The Mission District has 110 irrigators who did not receive a ballot. Over 17,000 acres of irrigated land had no vote. This is totally unacceptable to this FJBC board. Lake County was hired by the FJBC to run this election. When you’re hired to do a job, you’re accountable to the people who hired you. Lake County Election Office and the County Attorney are responsible to run the election according to all applicable State laws. You just can’t take one law and change the way elections were run for 40 years without proper notification and paperwork. Ask yourself also why the Lake County Attorney’s office was sending interoffice communications that there was to be one pro-compact and one anti-compact witness at the vote counting. FJBC commissioner elections have nothing to do with the CSKT compact. District elections are to choose competent commissioners to represent the Irrigation Districts in District business. 

It might be that Missoula and Sanders counties will be needed to help administer a fair and legal election where all irrigators receive ballots and the paperwork to file the ballots in the time frame the law requires. Lake County’s present elections office and the county attorney seem to be incompetent to do this job at this time. Our job is to represent the Districts and make sure you have a vote. Keep tuned. 

-Tim Orr

Mission District Chairman