Montana’s primary election is Tuesday; here’s how to vote

Drop off your ballots to be sure they get to your county elections office on time — don’t pop them in the mail anymore.

That’s advice from the Montana Secretary of State’s Office.

The primary election in Montana is Tuesday, June 2, and Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen said voters should return ballots in person to their local election officials. (Tuesday was the last day recommended for mailing.)

Jacobsen also advised people who need to register to vote or update their registration to do so ahead of the election to avoid potentially long lines on Election Day.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 150,743 absentee ballots had been received by county elections officials, according to SOS spokesperson Richie Melby.

This week, Jacobsen’s office reminded voters of how to vote, including a newer requirement voters include their birth year on the return signature envelope.

“The Montana Election Team reminds voters to vote only one party’s ballot during the Primary Election,” Jacobsen said in a statement.

Voters should then place the ballot in the “secrecy” envelope, place that envelope in the return signature envelope, and sign it with the date and birth year.

Track your ballot at VoteMT.gov. Voters tracking their absentee ballot will see the following under the “ballot status” category, the Secretary of State’s Office said in a news release:

SENT: The county election office issued and sent an absentee ballot.
RECEIVED: The county election office received a voter’s returned absentee ballot.
ACCEPTED: The county election office received and verified a voter’s returned absentee ballot, and it is ready for counting.
REJECTED: The county election office received a voter’s returned absentee ballot, which may contain a missing and/or incorrect signature/birth year. Voters can easily resolve a rejected ballot by visiting https://votemt.gov/resolve-my-ballot/.

As of Tuesday morning, roughly one-quarter of one percent of the ballots issued were in a rejected status, and election officials statewide are contacting those voters to resolve potential missing or incorrect information and ensure their votes are counted, the news release said.

Montanans voting at the polling place on Election Day are reminded that election workers will request photo identification such as a driver’s license, passport, or Tribal ID, the news release said. Detailed voter ID information is available at VoteMT.gov.

“Election officials are proud to provide our Montana voters with an efficient process that allows for a safe, secure, accessible, and transparent election,” Jacobsen said in a statement. “We’re honored to serve and look forward to Election Night to share the results with Montanans!”