Cascade County Clerk and Recorder Candidates Seek Fresh Start After Years of Office Turmoil
Why It Matters
The Cascade County clerk and recorder’s office in Great Falls, Montana, has been at the center of significant election management controversy for the past three years. Voters in the county face a June primary that will help determine whether the office can rebuild credibility and operational stability after a stretch of missed deadlines, court interventions, and a dramatic restructuring that stripped the office of most of its former responsibilities.
What Happened
Three candidates — two Republicans and one Democrat — are competing to lead an office that looks very different than it did just a few years ago. At the heart of the race is the legacy of current Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant, who took office in January 2023 after defeating Democratic incumbent Rina Fontana Moore by fewer than 40 votes in a recount.
Merchant’s tenure quickly ran into trouble. Multiple spring 2023 elections were affected by missed deadlines and concerns about mismanagement. A judge voided the results of a May 2023 irrigation district election. The Great Falls Public Library was assigned a court-appointed election monitor for a June 2023 levy vote. The local school district paid roughly $17,000 in legal fees to help validate its own election results.
County commissioners responded by removing election administration duties from the clerk and recorder’s office entirely, creating a separate department. Merchant, who has cited personal and health reasons for her decision, is not seeking reelection.
The Candidates
The Republican primary features Desarea Valentine, who serves as Merchant’s chief deputy, and Lynn DeRoche, a former county elections employee who served as the court-appointed election monitor during the controversial 2023 library levy. The winner will face Democrat Rina Fontana Moore in the general election. Fontana Moore, who held the clerk and recorder position from 2007 to 2023, previously filed a discrimination case against Cascade County and received a settlement.
Valentine joined the office in 2024 as an auditor and was elevated to chief deputy within six months. Merchant has contributed to Valentine’s campaign. Valentine has described her leadership style as focused on developing staff strengths and building an effective team.
DeRoche spent more than a decade managing county elections and left the office in February 2023, shortly before Merchant’s administration ran into problems. She has emphasized her deep institutional knowledge of elections administration and cross-departmental experience within county government.
Fontana Moore points to the scale of the office during her prior tenure, when it employed around 27 people and managed elections, solid waste operations, and a print shop. The restructured office now has six employees and no election responsibilities.
“It’s just managing what’s left,” Fontana Moore said of the current office.
By the Numbers
- Merchant defeated Fontana Moore in 2022 by fewer than 40 votes in a recount
- The clerk and recorder’s office once had approximately 27 employees; it now has 6
- The Great Falls school district spent roughly $17,000 in legal assistance to validate 2023 election results
- The June 2 Republican primary will determine which candidate faces Fontana Moore in the fall
Zoom Out
Cascade County’s election troubles were part of a broader pattern in Montana’s more populous counties. During the 2024 general election, Cascade County joined other high-population areas experiencing long wait times and logistical strain with same-day voter registration. Election administration capacity across Montana has come under scrutiny, with questions about whether local offices are adequately resourced for growing demands. Statewide primary races in Montana’s Western District are drawing similar attention ahead of the June 2 election.
What’s Next
Republican voters in Cascade County will choose between Valentine and DeRoche in the June 2 primary. The winner will then face Fontana Moore in the November general election. All three candidates have stated a commitment to restoring steady, reliable operations to an office that still handles core functions including vital records and property deed transfers, even as its broader administrative role has been significantly reduced.
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