Rea Grulkowski announced her intention to file as a write-in candidate for Cascade County  Commission at The Pachyderm Club meeting held on August 22. Back in June she lost her Republican primary race to Eric Hinebaugh by a wide margin.  It seems she is unwilling to accept the primary results. Instead she is opting for organizing a write-in campaign for a seat on the County Commission.

No one should be surprised Grulkowski won’t accept the fact that she lost an election.  She is a core activist in the local election denier crowd. She was also the major driver in the controversy which engulfed the Clerk and Recorder’s office after election denier Sandra Merchant took over in the last election.  Ultimately, the full County Commission removed the election duties from Merchant’s control over the strenuous and often unethical objections raised by Grulkowski.

As of Friday, August 23, she had not filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate with the Election Office as required by state law.  She has until 5:00 September 3rd.

Write-in campaigns are rarely successful.  They require strong organization and an aggressive education campaign.  Most serious write-in campaigns have stickers printed to make sure the candidate’s name is spelled correctly on the ballot.  With a name like Rea Grulkowski supporters who want to vote for her could easily misspell her name and have their vote thrown out.

The Secretary of State’s office has a rule on the use of stickers for write-ins. It advises candidates to consult with their local election administrator to assure the stickers can be used in the equipment local election offices use.

See Jasmine Taylor’s Tik Tok on this topic.

https://www.tiktok.com/@montana_jasmine/video/7406314192745319726?lang=en&q=jasmine%20taylor&t=1724452544645