Democrats have a press conference to encourage people to vote

The Hill County Democratic Party held a meeting today at 7:45 a.m. at the party’s headquarters in Havre to encourage people to vote.

Today is the first day people can vote.

More than 21 people were at the conference, including Montana Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre; Democrat Paul Tuss, who is running for Montana Senate District 14, and Democrat Doug Kaercher, who is running for the Public Service Commission.

Bachmeier is facing challenges by former legislator Bob Sivertsen, running as an independent, and Libertarian Conor Burns.

Tuss is challenging Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, in his bid for re-election.

Kaercher faces Republican Randy Pinocci of Sun River in a race to fill the seat on the Public Service Commission held by Republican Travis Kavulla of Great Falls, who cannot run for re-election due to term limits.

This morning’s meeting was live streamed on the party’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hill.co.dems/.

Bachmeier went over voting registration laws and encouraged everyone to get out to vote.

It’s important everybody understand their right to vote, he added.

The only requirements to vote in the state is that voters are 18 years or older by the day of the election; are U.S. citizens and resident in the state for at least 30 days before voting, and cannot be serving in a penal institution while polls are open.

Voting is open today through Nov. 6.

Bachmeier said voters can go down to Hill County Courthouse in Havre and cast their vote before election day. He added that Montana has same-day voter registration laws, so if a person is not registered to vote they can still go to the clerk and recorder’s office to register and cast their vote up to Election Day.

He said people who are physically unable to get to the Hill County Clerk and Recorder’s Office can contact the office at 265-5481 and make arrangements to have paperwork sent to them so they can register to vote and get their absentee ballot.

Bachmeier said if people are in need of transportation in order to get to the polls they can contact him at 870-6427.

“I believe in your right to vote regardless of who you are supporting. I am happy to give you a ride,” Bachmeier said.

Tuss said his campaign has been doing a lot of work in the past year since he decided to run for office, and he wants to encourage everyone to vote and to vote early.

“When I think about today and the start of elections,” Tuss said, “I have to think about that very snowy, incredibly cold, day in January where I threw $15 into the bucket and decided to put my name on the dotted line to run for the state Senate.”

He said that his campaign has knocked on more than 7,000 doors, made more than 7,000 phone calls, put more than 500 yard and highway signs in the district and talked to the constituents in his district.

He said he encourages people to go down to the courthouse and vote early.

“The other advantage, obviously, to voting early is that those ads that we all see see, the phone calls that we all get, those begin to stop as both political parties understand that you’ve already voted,” Tuss said. “So that alone, I think, is worthy of consideration when you think about voting early.”

Kaercher said that like Tuss, his campaign has done a lot of work in the past year, covering the 30,000 square miles of his district for Public Service Commission. He said that in the past year he has gone to 13 county fairs, walked in six parades and attended numerous dinners and meetings to get his message out.

“It is absolutely imperative that we make the change to this PSC, so we have a balance going forward,” Kaercher said. “I believe that I’ve got that experience, with a lifetime of 30 years in public service and I really need your vote. I need your support, and all the candidates on the ticket also need that vote and support.

“With that, let’s get going, let’s go get voted and be ready for next year,” he added.

The three candidates and others said they would go to the courthouse right after the press conference to place their votes.