KALISPELL — Flathead County has officially launched an independent elections department and has named the county’s first standalone elections administrator.
County commissioners recently appointed Paula Buff as the county’s election administrator, officially separating the elections department from the clerk and recorder’s office.
County officials said the transition to an independent elections department "aims to strengthen transparency, professionalism, and public trust in the administration of local elections."
Separating elections from the elected Clerk and Recorder position allows the county to appoint a "nonpartisan administrator based on qualifications, experience, and technical expertise, while also eliminating potential conflicts of interest when elected offices appear on the ballot."
Buff served as the county’s election manager since March 2024.
“So having someone in that professional role to just maintain all of those standards, requirements, statutory guidelines, all of those kinds of things, I think is also really critical for just the overall integrity of elections and just really a benefit to Flathead County,” Flathead County Elections Administrator Paula Buff tells MTN News.
Under the new structure, the Elections Administrator reports directly to the Flathead County Administrator and the county commissioners.
