by Ken Toole | Nov 10, 2024 | Elections
By now we all know that election day in Cascade County was chaotic. WTF406 has received numerous reports from people about waits as long as seven hours for voters. This election was characterized by confusion, poor organization, and staff who were poorly trained and disorganized.
Responsibility for this mess should be laid directly on the shoulders of the County Commission. Going all the way back to the two years before the election of Sandra Merchant and Rae Grulkowski, it was obvious the national election denier movement had arrived in Cascade County. Former election administrator Rina Moore and her staff were constantly harassed and confronted by people presenting bizarre conspiracy theories straight from the “My Pillow Guy” and his Montana minions, western Montana legislators Theresa Manzella and Brad Tschida. Locally, the Republican Pachyderm Club became a launching pad for promoting election disruption under the guidance of local legislators Steven and Lola Galloway. See our previous post https://wtf406.com/?s=Manzella
The election denier Sandra Merchant defeated veteran clerk and recorder Rina Moore and the shit show began. Merchant proved to be completely incompetent and ultimately the County Commissioners removed election administration from her office. But not before she managed to replace almost all of the clerk and recorder staff with her cronies in the local election denier ranks. When the County Commission hired a new administrator for elections, they selected Terry Thompson as the new administrator in a completely corrupt hiring decision driven by Commissioner Rae Grulkowski. The table was set for the mess we saw on election day. Grulkowski Plays Dirty– Did We Really Expect Anything Else? – What the Funk
We asked a couple of people who were there all day and into the night for their observations. Below we excerpted some of their comments.
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Observer #1
On November 5, 2024, I started my day at 6:30 am at the Montana Expo Park observing the voting process. Little did I know what was in store for the next 15 hours.
Election judges early in the day seemed confused about provisional ballots, inactive voters, and some other special circumstances. When judges would signal, by waving a flag, for assistance on questions there would be an approximately 10-minute delay or more in receiving help. Many times, the Election Official did not have the answer. Judges also received conflicting information at times.
Unfortunately, the lines became impossibly long. This happened within 30 minutes of the polls opening. Some voters stood in line for up to 7 hours. Numerous people left without voting out of frustration and need to get to appointments or work. There were 2 to 3 people at computers registering voters and resolving other issues regarding voter registration. Individual voters took it upon themselves to set up chairs that were stacked up against the walls. Why did this not happen before election day? Line management was nonexistent. When the polls closed at 8:00pm, there were over 500 hundred people waiting in line.
People were given conflicting information at times as to where they should line up.Staff were not prepared to handle the large number of people that were registering and having to solve issues with their ballot. Separate stations would have solved the issue and cut down on the time people had to stand in line. Signage would have been very beneficial in directing people where they should go. There were no such signs.
Voters were frustrated after standing in line for hours and then told they were in the wrong line and had to move. Poor communication and information.
There were not enough people staffing the polling place. Why didn’t the Commission forsee this? Many counties will pull employees from other departments to assist on Election Day, why was this an option here.
It was very noticeable the lack of experience of the Election Officials and the Administrator. It was exhausting watching the frustration and fatigue of the people who took the time to turn out and vote. High praises to those people who stuck it out. Mistakes will happen, but not on the scale that I witnessed. Clearly many changes need to be made.
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Observer #2
Witnessed multiple voters leaving the lines in the morning saying that they had to get to work. I informed them that if they came back before 8pm they would be assisted. A couple that I remembered did come back
Mass confusion is the best way I can describe what was happening in the polling place. Issues of not knowing where to go or what line to get into were a problem from the start of the day to the end of the day.
Late registration line was set up to serpentine in a side garage. This space was not sufficient in size. The line started weaving into the main hall and creating confusion on where to go or how to get to their precinct table.
A secondary line was set up for handicapped voters. However non-handicapped people got in the line and, once they got up to the late registration table, they were informed that they are not supposed to be in that line and sent to the main late registration line. The handicap line was at most 2 hours and now the voters were sent to the other line that had a wait time of several hours.
One voter came in wearing a Make America Great Again hat. He was approached by Elections staff and was asked to remove it. The Voter took the hat off and put it on his child. I notified the Elections staff about this and he informed me that the child is unable to vote so it doesn’t matter.
I informed the Elections staff of an individual wearing a “Pray to end abortion” pin. While I was informing the worker, a Cascade County Attorney was standing nearby. She informed me that it would be hard to say if that is electioneering and that they will not tell her to remove it.
The Election judges at the precinct tables were informed to wave flags to get the attention of Election staff for assistance. Multiple times I timed them and they waved the flag from as little as 1 minute up to 6 Minutes.Some did not ever get help and would send the voter to get the help that they needed.
Julie Bass was walking around assisting voters. She was not signed in as a poll watcher or observer.
One of the biggest concerns that was noted to me is the severe lack of security. Anyone was able to walk into the count board area or the late registration area. One gentleman from the GOP kept walking behind the counter to talk to election officials. Voters were going behind the counter for assistance and going by the ballots. Extra assistance was brought in and not vetted.
by Ken Toole | May 3, 2024 | Elections
It seems like all of the old rules went out the window with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. With the resources and energy of far-right groups like the Freedom Caucus, Moms for Liberty, American for Prosperity and others, the right flank of the Republican Party has taken over most of state and local government.
Here in Cascade County there is a long standing feud between far-right Republicans, known as the Freedom Caucus, led by legislators like Steven Galloway and Lola Sheldon-Galloway, and more traditional pro-corporate Republicans like Ed Buttrey and Steve Fitzpatrick. This election almost all legislative seats have contested Republican primaries pitting these two factions against each other. In addition, there is a hotly contested County Commission primary race between far-right incumbent Rae Grulkowski and local businessman Eric Hinebauch.
At the same time there is only one contested Democratic primary, the race for the Eastern Congressional District. The unfortunate fact is, no matter which Democratic candidate wins the primary, he will have virtually no chance of winning the seat in the general election. In short, there is not much reason to vote in the Democratic Primary here in Cascade County.
That brings us to the talk around town urging Democrats in Cascade County to vote in the Republican primary for the more reasonable of those candidates. Some folks are arguing that a few votes could make the difference between more nuts and more reasonable people in public office. They may be right, and the fact is that there is really nothing to lose given the lack of contested Democratic primaries here. Advocates of Democrats voting in the Republican primary, which is perfectly legal, say, “desperate times call for desperate measures|.”
The following is a list of the contested primaries and who are the more far-right candidates.
Cascade County Commission
Rea Grulkowski- Far Right
Eric Hinebauch
Senate District 13
Lola Sheldon-Galloway- Far Right
Josh Kassmier
House District 19
Hannah Trebas- Far Right
Darren Auger
House District 20
Steven Galloway- Far Right
Melisssa Nikolakkas
House District 21
Josh Osterman- Far Right
Ed Buttrey
House District 22
James Whitaker- Far Right
George Nikolakkas
House District 23
John Proud- Far Right
Pete Anderson- Far Right
Josh Denully
Eric Tillerman
by Ken Toole | Apr 29, 2024 | Elections
Gianforte releases endorsement list of Republican Legislators. Lola is out.
In a rare flexing of political muscle, Greg Gianforte took a little time off from increasing our property taxes and kicking sick people off Medicaid to issue a list of Republican primary candidates he is endorsing. In Cascade County, Lola Sheldon-Galloway’s opponent in the race for Senate District 13, Josh Kassmier, got the nod from Gianforte. Too bad for Lola. Maybe Gianforte didn’t like her hats.
In Gallatin County, Gianforte endorsed newcomer Kyle McMurry over incumbent, Jane Gillette. He also weighed in on a three-way primary, endorsing Scott Sales over Caleb Hinkle and Jennifer Carlson. Both Hinkle and Carlson are incumbents. Sales currently is the Director of the Montana Lottery but has served in the legislature before. Equally telling is who is not on Gianforte’s endorsement list. Neither House Speaker Matt Regier nor House Speaker Pro Tempore Rhonda Knudsen received an endorsement from Gianforte. For the complete story: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/04/26/gianforte-favors-some-snubs-others-in-gop-legislative-endorsements/
Meanwhile Over at Montana Association of Conservatives PAC. . .
Donald Trump Jr. came to Missoula on April 28 to speak at an event to promote the campaigns of Greg Gianforte, Tim Sheehy and Ryan Zinke. The event is being “brought to you by” the Montana Association of Conservatives Political Action Committee (MAC PAC) and an organization called Public Square. A quick look at Public Square and you will see “merch” for sale with catchy phrases like, “Stop Supporting Commies” and “This Girl Loves Capitalism,” alongside other, less political products. (If you are a glutton for punishment, you can check out a Breitbart interview with Public Square CEO Michael Seifert. Among other things he says you can purchase diapers from the only pro-life diaper company in the country! The whole thing is kind of creepy) https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1323590758326689. WTF406 has no idea how these folks are complying with campaign law. But, if the event is “public” and held in a public building like the University Center, denying certain candidates entry because of who they are running against is likely a violation of state law. https://mac-pac.com/
Regardless of the sketchy nature of the event, the other news is that Republican Governor candidate Tanner Smith (Randy Pinocci is his running mate), Gianforte’s opponent in the Republican Primary, had his $75 registration fee returned and was told he was not welcome to attend. In addition, Charles Walking Child, who is challenging Tim Sheehy in the Republican Primary for US Senate, was also disinvited from the event. Brad Johnson, who is also running against Tim Sheehy, said that he did not purchase a ticket after not being allowed to speak at a meeting of Yellowstone County Republicans.
Responding to comments from Smith, a spokesperson for Gianforte said, “The governor did not organize this event, instead, the governor was invited to and is attending Sunday’s Protecting Freedom Event with Donald Trump, Jr.” Cameo Flood, spokesperson for MAC PAC, declined to provide additional comment. Brad Johnson, long-time Republican activist, state office holder and current primary challenger to Tim Sheehy ,said, “I’ve never seen it like this, It’s just absurd,
Montanans don’t like being told what to do,” For a complete story: https://montanafreepress.org/2024/04/26/two-republican-candidates-in-montana-told-not-to-attend-trump-jr-event/
Many of us are concerned about the authoritarian turn of the Republican Party in recent years. These guys simply don’t tolerate disagreement. We are seeing how Republican leadership exercises power internally. Bad as this is, it is nothing compared to how they treat other political opponents who are not members of their own party.
by Ken Toole | Apr 23, 2024 | Schools
Back in early April, we wrote a blog post pointing out that most of the Libertarians who filed to run for legislature were removed from the ballot by the Commissioner of Political Practices for failing to file the paperwork required by law. We also pointed out that the current chair of the local Libertarian Party, Tony Rosales, was the treasurer for all of those candidates. The campaign treasurer’s main responsibility is to make sure the campaign is complying with legal filing and reporting requirements. Obviously, Rosales fell short of meeting those pretty simple obligations. https://wtf406.com/2024/04/cascade-countys-loopy-libertarians/
Rosales then appeared as a school board candidate and, in a separate post, we pointed out that allegations he was making about school personnel and policies were a bunch of baloney. https://wtf406.com/2024/04/school-board-candidate-attacks-gfps-employee-in-tik-tok-video/
The local Libertarian Party posted a response on the platform formally known as Twitter. The post said that the author of the post, Ken Toole, missed some “transmittal deadlines” 20 years ago when he served in the Montana Senate, implying that Toole should not criticize others for missing deadlines. The fact of the matter is that virtually all legislators have some bills that do not make the transmittal deadline. Take Randy Pinocci for example. In 2015, when he served in the House of Representatives, he had four bills that failed to make the “transmittal deadline.” Unfortunately, if Tony Rosales’ School Board campaign is any indication, facts and accuracy are simply unimportant to Cascade County Libertarians.
We can’t be sure Rosales is the author of the post. It was submitted under the name of the Cascade County Libertarians without author attribution. We assume that, since he is the chairperson, he was aware of it and approved of its content. In a message to Jasmine Taylor, who also writes posts for WTF406.com, the Libertarians ask her to let Toole know their response is, “Go make us a fucking sandwich Ken.” Wow! Haven’t heard anything quite that clever since 8th grade. Do we really want Tony Rosales on the School Board?
by Ken Toole | Apr 6, 2024 | Elections
Libertarians have been making a bit of a splash here in Cascade County. While Libertarians rarely get elected to public office, their presence in political races often detracts from serious public discourse thanks to their rather odd positions on many issues and philosophical view of extremely limited government.
The Pseudointellectual, Tony Rosales
The Chair of the local Libertarian Party, Tony Rosales, is running for a “non-partisan” position on the school board. Rosales attracted attention by accusing a school district employee of having a conflict of interest, because the person served on the board of a local non-profit. See our post on Rosales’ spurious allegations, and his own conflict of interest as a volunteer on the school debate team. https://wtf406.com/2024/04/school-board-candidate-attacks-gfps-employee-in-tik-tok-video/.
Rosales is running an aggressive social media campaign consisting of technical looking columns of numbers to make the case that the school board is somehow violating the public trust. Not surprising since he shoves his PHD in chemistry in everything he possibly can. Problem is, a PHD in chemistry doesn’t mean he knows anything about school budgeting, finance or administration.
The Conspiracy Theorist, Randy Pinocci
Randy Pinocci has signed on as the Lieutenant Governor with Tanner Smith of Kalispell at the head of the ticket. Pinocci has been active in the local Republican Party, getting elected to the state legislature and the Public Service Commission. From those positions Pinocci has established himself as one of the most far right and intemperate people in public office. Pinocci has a long history of attracting public attention with his conspiracy theories and promoting far-right events like the Red Pill Festival, an annual gathering of far-right activists. Most recently Pinocci was arrested for felony witness tampering related to a dispute he had with a tenant. He is currently scheduled to go to trial on those charges on April 30th here in Great Falls. The county is bringing in Judge Jim Manley from Polson to hear the case. As an aside, the facts of the case are well established since Pinocci threatened the witness via text message. We can only hope the County Attorney doesn’t plead this one down because Pinocci is a local elected official.
All the King’s Men (And One Woman)
If you looked at the candidate filings with the Secretary of State’s office the morning after the filing deadline, it looked like the Cascade County Libertarians were on the move. But on closer inspection it seems to be a lot of smoke and mirrors, all arranged by Tony Rosales. In addition to Tony Rosales and Randy Pinocci, four Libertarians filed for local legislative seats. These included House Dist 21- Joshua Rosales, House District 23- Kevin Leatherbarrow, House District 24- Annie Leatherbarrow and House District 25- Lui Salina. In addition, Tony Rosales also filed to run in House District 24, but the Commissioner’s office now shows his legislative campaign as “closed”.
If you look today you will see that all but Kevin Leatherbarrow have been removed from the ballot. They were removed for failing to file the proper paperwork with the Commissioner of Political Practices The Commissioner’s office informed WTF406 that numerous attempts are made to make sure all candidates know about the filing requirements. It may not be surprising that Libertarian candidates wouldn’t follow the rules since they don’t believe most rules should exist.
The campaign treasurer for all of the Cascade County Libertarian candidates is Tony Rosales. It is highly unusual for numerous candidates to have the same treasurer. Though there is nothing wrong with filing for office then withdrawing, it makes one wonder what is going on to cause such a change of heart. Combined with Tony Rosales’ aggressive, unfounded attacks on Great Falls Public Schools, we are getting a glimpse at how he would perform in public office. . . .poorly.
Correction- Our original post misidentified the Tanner/Pinnocci ticket as Libertarian. In fact it is Republican. We have made the correction and we apologize for the error.
