Powder River County Election Precincts Updated

Every ten years the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission meets to redraw legislative maps to meet with new census data. That map was drawn in 2022 for the upcoming 2024 elections, and resulted in Powder River County becoming enveloped entirely in HD 34 and SD 17.

In previous years the county was split in two districts, between SD 21, HD 41 and SD 19, along with HD 38.

In conjunction with the redistricting, voting precincts may be changed in order to best match population size between precincts. Election Administator Cynde Jo Gatlin recommended changes to the precincts in late 2023, which would have combined precincts Broadus North and South. A committee of local Republican party members approached the commissioners indicating that the change did not follow Montana Code 13-3-101, which espouses that precinct elector numbers should be as nearly equal as possible, as the combined precinct would have

839 voters, compared to some others with less than 100.

Gatlin, with the help of Kelda Page, went back to the drawing board, and enacted several major changes to work on parity between the districts.

Here's how the precincts are now constructed:

The number of precincts has been reduced from seven to six.

The Stacey precinct has been absorbed into the Coalwood #3 precinct, with Coalwood as the polling location.

The Biddle East and Biddle West precincts have been absorbed into one Biddle precinct, deemed Biddle #8. Biddle will remain the polling location.

No changes have been made to the Ashland #5 precinct.

Voters within the city limits of Broadus will now be in their own precinct, Broadus City #10.

A major change comes to the remaining precinct, with Broadus North #11 and Broadus South #12 replacing the old Broadus North and Broadus South precincts. The Powder River divided the two former precincts, while Hwy 212 divides the new precincts. Crane Acres is included in Broadus South.

All three Broadus precincts (North, South, and City) will hold polling locations within the courthouse. Current plans are to hold the North and South precincts in the courthouse lobby, while the City polls will be placed in the courthouse election room.

As if February 12th, the precincts had the following number of registered voters: Coalwood, 118 voters; Ashland, 161 voters; Biddle, 127 voters, Broadus City, 291 voters; Broadus North: 235 voters; Broadus South, 268 voters.

At a meeting held February 12th, County Commissioner Lee Randall commented that the precincts had been changed to better reflect populations (for example, Stacey and Coalwood initially had 59 voters each, and with the change are now close to the 127 at Biddle and 156 at Ashland), while keeping communities with long histories of voting together intact when possible.

The precinct changes were officially enacted last week.

County Election Administrator Cynde Jo Gatlin spoke to us after the changes were enacted, commenting that her office will be sending out cards in the mail to voters in the precincts affected by the changes, showing in what precinct they now reside and where their polling location will be located. She commented that election costs associated with the changes would likely remain fairly consistent. Gatlin also noted that changes either needed to be surveyed, or follow distinct boundaries, for example in the past the Powder provided a boundary, now Highway 212 forms an easily recognizable boundary.