UM Business Students Help Missoula County Rethink In-person Voting

MISSOULA – When Missoula County voters show up to cast ballots in person this election season, some of what they see will have started in a University of Montana classroom.

Elections staff in colored badges and vests. Voter lines moved away from the road. More garbage and recycling bins. Each change came from UM College of Business students who spent this past September studying how the county runs in-person voting and then recommending how to improve it.

“It was cool to see something we worked on actually get implemented,” said Jack Dowling, a junior management major from Gallup, New Mexico, whose team focused on parking and traffic flow.

The project paired students in BMGT 401: Entertainment and Sports Event Management with the Missoula County Elections Office. The course is part of the College of Business’ new Entertainment, Events and Sports Management major, and is included in the Entertainment Management Certificate.

Traci Beighle, UM’s director of career readiness and employer relations, connected adjunct professor Sarah Peruzzi, who teaches the course, with the elections office. Peruzzi and Beighle met with Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman and his team to review existing procedures and identify where protocols could improve.

Students then met with elections staff to learn about election processes and procedures before splitting into teams. Each team tackled a specific challenge: site flow, security, signage or communication with voters. When the proposals were ready, the elections team came to class to hear them firsthand and offer real-time feedback.

Running a polling site has a lot in common with running a concert or a game. There are crowds to move, lines to manage, safety risks to plan for and information that needs to reach people before they arrive. Seaman said the students were very thoughtful about the layout, flow and access to the site.

“This was a great partnership with the students,” Seaman said. “Students learned more about how we keep elections safe and secure, and we gained new ideas to continue improving our systems and enhance the voting experience.”

For Chae Clearwood, the project offered a look behind the curtain of a very different kind of production. Clearwood is a Master of Fine Arts in Directing student with the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. She is from Billings and also pursuing the College of Business’ Entertainment Management Certificate and plans to graduate in May.

“It was really interesting to take a deep dive into all the planning that takes place for elections,” she said. “It’s great to see how tangible our skills can be for helping our community.”

Clearwood has worked as a director in theater and the arts. She said the certificate helps her see the other side of the industry and really gives her the opportunity to see the whole picture, not just the performance.

After graduation, she hopes to connect the arts and business, promoting the arts and serving as a voice for marginalized communities in that space. She sees the certificate as what will help her be that conduit.

“It’s great to make an actual impact and help others in our community,” she said.

Dowling took a different path to the program. He has worked in construction and plans to stay in the field after he graduates, and he said the skills he’s building in the Entertainment, Events and Sports Management program will help him in that career. He also credits the professors teaching them.

“Faculty are always willing to offer advice, whether it be about class or life,” Dowling said. “They really want to help you along.”

Peruzzi said the project taught students more than event logistics.

“The collaboration educated students about the important role election officials play in the community, provided a critical lesson in civics and encouraged student engagement with the democratic process,” she said.

Seaman said he looks forward to continuing the partnership, and Peruzzi sees the project as a starting point.

“I see this as the beginning of a long-term partnership that demonstrates the myriad ways students can use their training to partner with local officials, become actively involved in the election process and develop civic agency,” she said.

For more information on enrolling at the College of Business, visit the UM admissions website.

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Contact: Garrett Finke, UM College of Business director of marketing and communications, 406-243-4436, garrett.finke@umontana.edu.