Question about your voter registration? Head to your elections office

County election officials are stressing that Montanans need to show up in person to make changes to their voter registration after a postcard from the Montana Secretary of State’s Office caused some confusion. 

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Montanans who need to register to vote or change their registration should head to their local elections office.

Election administrators also are advising people to get answers about registering to vote straight from the source, their local elections staff.

“If electors have questions, have them contact their local elections office to get the answers — the right answers,” said Carbon County Clerk and Recorder Macque Bohleen. “Not hearsay, not the neighbor or the internet.”

The postcard caused frustration for some election workers, confused some voters, and caught the attention of an advocacy organization, Middle Fork Strategies, which described it as misleading at best, “voter suppression at worst.”

Austin James, with the Secretary of State’s Office, said the card was part of a national voter outreach study and “a good story to tell,” but he declined to answer questions about it this week.

James said the important information now is for voters to return ballots in person (it’s too late mail them), bring photo ID to the polls, and check votemt.gov for polling places and ballot status. 

Postcard causes confusion

On Sept. 28, the Secretary of State’s Office alerted local election offices of a mailer to voters expected to arrive that week, Wednesday, Sept. 30, or Thursday, Oct. 1.

An email from the Secretary of State’s Office obtained by the Daily Montanan in a records request described the postcard as part of a pilot with the EAC, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

The purpose of the card is to update voter registration, but that’s part of the problem: Changes starting Oct. 6, during “late registration,” need to be made in person for people who want to vote in the upcoming election. 

People who received the card could mark an option for themselves, such as “I have moved out of Montana; please cancel my Montana voter registration.”

Recipients also could mark an option for another person: “The person listed above does not reside at this address.”

The instructions advised people to sign the card, return it by mail, “no postage necessary,” with the Secretary of State’s Office as the business reply mail.

The card was sent right before late registration started, and it didn’t indicate voters need to go to their local elections office.

“It would have been helpful to voters if it had been done a couple of months earlier,” Bohleen said. “My frustration is the timing.”

Outcome of card

In Yellowstone County, election administrator Dayna Causby said Wednesday a couple of voters came to the office “very mad about the fact that they received them,” saying they’d lived in the same place for 20 years.

Causby said the number of postcards sent to voters in Yellowstone County wasn’t clear. The Secretary of State’s Office did not answer a question about the number of cards sent in the state.

Records show the Secretary of State’s Office is forwarding information it receives to local election offices for changes.

On Oct. 8, the Secretary of State’s Office declared the project was nearly complete, and it had helped prevent ballots being sent to undeliverable addresses.

“I am pleased to report that we have received thousands of mailers from voters confirming their information,” wrote Sadie Dallaserra, with the Secretary of State’s Office, in an email the Daily Montanan received in a records request. “While some of you received instructions from me to make updates, most of you did not need to take any action.

“We may still receive a few stragglers depending on when voters placed their mailers in the post, but the majority of this project is now complete, and it has been a success.”

Middle Fork Strategies, a progressive advocacy organization with a mission that includes holding leaders accountable, had a different perspective on the card.

It posted a picture of the mailer on its Facebook page with a red X across it and instructions for how people can update their registration — by going to their local elections office.

“It’s misleading at best and state-sponsored voter suppression at worst,” said Middle Fork interim executive director Nick Lockridge in an email. “Montana has come so far over the years with its rural-friendly absentee voting procedures. To act in this manner, at this stage, is just irresponsible.”

This week, voters were still asking questions about the card.

Working with voters

Bradley Seaman, elections administrator in Missoula County, said some voters showed up in person with the cards this week, and the Secretary of State’s Office had emailed scanned cards to his office.

He said a number of statutes discuss voter registration requirements, but he doesn’t have a legal opinion on how the card meets them at this point.

“There’s a lot of confusion going on,” Seaman said.

In the week before Election Day, Seaman said staff are focused on the needs of voters. He advised voters to check their registration online at myvoterpagemt.com.