Primary ballots hit the mail Monday

Absentee ballots for the June 3 primary election will be mailed out Monday, with last-minute filings adding to the contested primary races.

In Hill County, Clerk and Recorder Sue Armstrong reports that six ballots already have been mailed to people serving in the military. Another 1,719 will be mailed Monday.

The primary absentee ballots account for more than 18 percent of the 9,358 registered voters in the county and 23 percent of the 7,496 active voters.

The polls open for the nonabsentee voters June 3.

Local races have four contested primaries, and the Havre Daily will run profiles of the candidates in those county and legislative primaries starting next week.

In the Hill County treasurer’s race, a rematch is set between former Treasurer Carrie Dickson and incumbent Treasurer Sandy Brown in the Democratic primary. Brown defeated Dickson in the 2010 election. No Republicans have filed in the race.

In Blaine County, County Commissioner Delores Plumage faces Carlotta Benson in the Democratic primary. No Republicans have filed in that race, either.

In the legislative races, incumbent Rep. Roy Hollandsworth, R-Brady, faces Republican Darrold Hutchinson in the primary.

The winner of that race will face Democrat Rob Laas of Chester, who is unopposed in the primary.

In the race for Senate District 14, state Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, faces Carl Mattson of Chester in the Republican primary.

Sen. Greg Jergeson, D-Havre, is unopposed in the primary for SD 14.

In the hotly contested congressional races, voters have a plethora of candidates.

In the race for the open U.S. House seat, five candidates — state Sens. Elsie Arntzen and Matt Rosendale, former state Sens. Corey Stapleton and Ryan Zinke and Helena resident Drew Turiano — are in the Republican primary, while former state Rep. John Driscoll and John Lewis, a former aide to former U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, are in the Democratic primary.

Former Havreite Mike Fellows has no opposition in the Libertarian primary for that race.

That seat is open because its incumbent is running for the Senate seat opened by Baucus’ not running for re-election. U.S. Rep. Steve Daines, R-Mont., faces state Rep. Champ Edmunds, R-Missoula, in that primary.

In the Democratic primary, Sen. John Walsh, D-Mont., who left the Montana lieutenant governor position when he was appointed to take Baucus’ place, faces John Bohlinger, also a former lieutenant governor who switched parties to run in this year’s Senate race, and Park County rancher Dirk Adams.

Libertarian Roger Roots of Livingston is unopposed in his Senate primary.