PSA: 2018 Voter registration deadlines and information

October 9

Close of Registration. This is the deadline to submit a new registration or to update an existing registration. We will accept forms postmarked by October 9 if they are received in our office by October 12. Forms dropped off in person or emailed or faxed must be in by 5pm on October 9.

Anyone who wants to vote at a polling place on Election Day must be registered by this deadline. After this deadline there are other options to register and vote, but those options do not allow someone to vote at a polling place.

Absentee Voting Opens. This is the first date absentee ballots are available at the elections office.

If someone has already signed up to have a ballot mailed to them, we encourage them to wait and vote that ballot versus coming into the office a few days early to pick up the ballot.

If someone is leaving for a vacation before absentee voting opens, they should contact their county elections office to find out if any ballots will be available earlier.

October 10

Late registration opens. This is an option for anyone who misses the October 9 regular registration deadline. Late registration must be done in person at the elections office by the elector or, if the elector is disabled, by the elector's designated agent (a designated agent is a formal process that involves paperwork, it is not interchangeable with a power of attorney or other health care assistant). ]

Late registrants are issued a ballot at the time they late register, and they must vote that ballot.

October 12

Absentee ballots are mailed to voters who have already signed up for a ballot to be mailed to them for this or all elections.

We will continue to mail or issue in person absentee ballots on a daily basis for any new requests received through the close of absentee voting.

November 5 at Noon

Absentee voting closes.

Absentee applications must be submitted by noon. After this deadline, anyone who is already registered must go to their designated polling place on Election Day.

There is an exception to this deadline for people who have a sudden illness or health emergency, but only if that emergency occurs after 5pm on the Friday before the election.

Late registration also closes at noon, but reopens on Election Day.

November 6 – ELECTION DAY

Late registration is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your county elections office. This is for people who are not registered in the county, or people who are registered but would like to update and vote under a new residence address and/or name.

Most polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for voters who were registered by the October 9 Close of Registration. Polling places that serve less than 400 voters are open from noon to 8 p.m.

How do I vote?

First, get registered by submitting the Montana Voter Registration Application. Mark on the form if you would like a ballot mailed to you or not. If you sign up for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you, you can expect it the week of October 15. If you do not sign up for a ballot to be mailed, mark your calendar and be sure you know your polling location for voting at the polls on Election Day, November 6.

Note: your voter registration application must be postmarked to the elections office by October 9 to be valid for the November 6 Election. After October 9, you can register in person at your county elections office through the late-registration process. At the time of late-registration, you will be provided with a ballot.

What is absentee voting?

Absentee voters are absent from the polls when they vote. Sometimes this process happens through the mail, and sometimes it happens in person at the elections office. Absentee ballots must be submitted in a secrecy envelope enclosed within a return envelope. The affirmation on the return envelope must be signed by the voter. The signature on the affirmation is basically the form of ID for voting.

You may also hear phrases like "voting by mail" or "early voting." Typically "voting by mail" means people who signed up to be on the "absentee list." Ballots are automatically mailed to them for all elections. "Early voting" can refer to people who come into the elections office to pick up, vote, and submit an absentee ballot before Election Day. Technically these phrases mean different things to elections officials, but this is how we hear them used with the public.

Sometimes voters don't remember if they are on the absentee list or not. A great place to check is http://www.MyVoterPageMT.com. The laws on signing up and remaining on the absentee list have changed several times in the past decade, so we don't blame people if they can't remember where they stand.

What voter ID laws do we have in Montana?

When you register to vote in Montana, you provide a Montana state ID or driver's license number. You do not need to present the ID, but you do need to provide the ID number on the application. For residents who do not have a MT state ID or driver's license, we will accept the last four digits of their social security number. Rarely someone has neither, and we can work with them to obtain another form of acceptable ID (see voter registration application for examples).

Polling place voters must present ID when they check-in for voting. A state ID or driver's license will work, or some form of ID with the voter's name and picture (such as a student ID). If the voter does not have a photo ID, they can provide a document with their name and address, such as a utility bill or vehicle registration. The address and name must match the address and name the person is registered to vote under.

Absentee voters provide a signature on their returned ballot, and that serves as their identification for voting. The signature on the envelope is compared to the signature(s) on file from their voter registration and absentee voting applications. It is very important to sign the affirmation on the return envelope, and to make sure you are signing your own envelope (not your family member's or roommates). If someone is concerned that their signature has changed over time, they can submit a new voter registration application and we will add the signature to their record. We always use all signatures available to us when we make the comparison.