Rocky Boy, Hill County look at satellite voting office

Hill County officials Monday met with the Chippewa Cree Business Committee at the tribal council building at Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation to discuss the possibility of opening a satellite voting office.

The meeting was in response to a Jan. 28 letter from Tribal Chairman Ken St. Marks requesting the establishment of such an office during the 30 days preceding state and federal elections. That would provide late registration and in-person absentee voting services.

“Our main intent today was to come out and try to understand what the request was from the reservation,” said Hill County Commissioner Jeff LaVoi.

The council also sent a letter to officials in Chouteau County, where a part of the reservation is located. However, LeAnn Montes, tribal attorney, said they have not received a response.

Hill County Attorney Gina Dahl, Clerk and Recorder Susan Armstrong and Hill County Commissioner Mike Wendland were also present, as were St. Marks and three other Business Committee members.

Unlike the often-contentious tone that negotiations have taken between the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council and Blaine County over the establishment of such offices, the tone between the Chippewa Cree and Hill County was amicable and accommodating.

County officials said any building used for the satellite office must be handicap accessible secure and hardwired to the Internet and phone service.

Tribal attorney LeAnn Montes said she had been approached a few days before the letter was sent by St. Marks and had been considering suitable locations.

“I don’t think we are going to have any difficulty finding a handicapped-accessible, secure location,” Montes said.

Montes said that the tribe would seek to be as accommodating as it can be in meeting the county needs.

Potential locations discussed include St. Marks’ office and an adjoining room on the first floor and the reservation’s fitness center.

Dustin Whitford, a member of the Business Committee, said such a satellite office would be convenient.

County officials also reminded tribal council that the Clerk and Recorder's office housed at the Hill County Courthouse would not be able to provide absentee voting services on days the Rocky Boy office is operating.

Armstrong said that is because under state law ballots must be issued in sequential order.

In order to do that from multiple locations, on-demand voter technology, which the county does not have and which Armstrong estimates would costs about $15,000 plus the cost of maintenance would be required.

Whitford said if an office on the reservation was established during that 30-day period, it should be open no more than two days a week. Any more than that and he said he worried that county officials might end up coming down to the reservation only to have it not be utilized the majority of that time.

Though no agreement was formally reached on where, when and what time such satellite office would be in operation there, seemed to be general agreement that it would be one day in the middle of the week.

They mentioned using the reservation's radio station to get the message out about the presence of the office and when it will be open.

St. Marks said that this year would be a test run when it comes to the satellite offices,

“We’re all kind of in the dark as to what’s going to happen,” St, Marks said.

Still St, Marks said he thought it was worth a try.

Though no future meetings were scheduled, both sides agreed to work toward establishing a satellite voting office.

LaVoi, said he was gratified that the letter requesting the satellite office was sent directly by the tribe and not by a federal judge as well as the openness with which the council approached the matter.

“I think good things can come out besides the satellite voting,” he said to the council. “I think it shows that both the reservation and the county can work together.”

Though no additional meetings were scheduled, LaVoi said, both sides still have to work out details, and the tribe has to decide on where the office should be located.

However, he said, both sides will keep in touch.