GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Cascade County's elections office has gained statewide attention for its efficiency during the 2024 general election. The county was the first large county in Montana to complete tabulating and reporting election results, posting final results by 7:48 a.m. the next morning.
Terry Thompson, Cascade County Elections Administrator, emphasized that while speed is important, accuracy remains the top priority.
"Our average judge is 75 years or older, that was a long night. And so folks were up, you know, more than 24 hours, 28, 30 hours, making sure that we completed our election in Cascade County," said Thompson.
The Secretary of State's office awarded Cascade County for its quick reporting. However, Thompson stated, "You shouldn't do things just to get done, to be the first one to get done. Accuracy means more to the voter in the end result... I'd rather be the last one to finish and know that it was 100% accurate as to be the first one to finish and it not to be real accurate."
Thompson acknowledged that elections are complex and small errors can occur. Cascade County held a recount after some ballots were placed in the wrong box.
"When humans are involved in the process, then, you know, there could be some things that happened, but we caught it and it didn't impact any race whatsoever," she said.
The recognition is not just about speed, but about building trust in elections.
"We want to serve the people. We want to give them the confidence and trust that, you know, elections are being conducted fairly accurately, transparent and they're secure," said Thompson.
Thompson also mentioned that her office is preparing for upcoming elections with changes to improve the voter experience while maintaining accuracy. Voters will notice changes starting with ballot envelopes, as a new law requires date of birth on the envelope to help prevent fraud.
The Cascade County elections office is also reaching out to voters with older registrations, specifically those registered before 2006, to update optional information such as driver's license or social security numbers.
"We have over 5,000 of those folks in Cascade County. So what we would like to do is we'd like to get our data updated," Thompson explained. "We're just asking to get that information into the system. So that's what it's all about. We just want to educate the public that we're working really hard to keep our database up to date with the best information."
Thompson concluded by saying that these changes are aimed at building trust and ensuring every ballot is counted fairly, securely, and transparently.
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