The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Mail ballot elections are being used more and more across Montana for elections without federal offices. The mail ballot election allows the voter the convenience of voting at home and has increased voter turnout. Ballots are mailed directly to the eligible active voters. Inactive voters may update their information by completing a new voter registration card and then they can obtain a ballot. A voter may call the Clerk & Recorder’s office to check on their voter registration status or they may check their status at MY VOTER PAGE at https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/ .

Contained with the ballots are instructions and two envelopes – one is a colored secrecy envelope that does not identify the voter in any way and the second is a yellow return envelope. The voted ballot is placed by the voter in the secrecy envelope and sealed. The sealed secrecy envelope is placed in the second colored envelope for returning to the Clerk and Recorder’s office. The yellow return envelope must be signed by the voter before returning it to the Clerk and Recorder’s office.

If it is not signed, attempts will be made to contact the voter to come in to the Clerk & Recorder’s office and sign the affidavit. If the voter cannot be contacted and the affidavit on the yellow return envelope is not signed, the ballot cannot be counted.

Once the ballot is returned to the election office, the signature of the voter on the envelope is compared to the signature on their voter registration card on file. If the signatures are determined to be the same, the return mailing envelope is opened. The sealed secrecy envelope containing the ballot is not opened. It is put in a sealed ballot box and the signed return envelope is filed separately. No one sees the ballot and, since it is separated from the signed envelope, the secrecy of the ballot is preserved. The records indicate when the ballot was returned by the voter. The secrecy envelope containing the voted ballot is not opened until election day.

While it may seem logical to put all the ballots of a household in one secrecy envelope and mail just one return envelope, please don’t. Signing the envelope is like signing the register at the polls – each voter must sign. And, each secrecy envelope must contain only one ballot. If more than one ballot is contained in a secrecy envelope, none in that envelope can be counted.

What if the voter’s address is incorrect in the voter registration information and the mailing is returned to the election office by the post office? The staff of the Clerk and Recorder’s office will try to reach the voter to let them know that their ballot was returned. They can come to the Clerk and Recorder’s office to vote the ballot or specify a correct address in writing.

Often people move and do not notify the Clerk and Recorder’s office of a change of address. The election administrator cannot update a voter’s address based on information from the post office, the voter must confirm the address before their record can be updated.

If the voter loses the ballot or it is destroyed, another one can be obtained by contacting the Clerk and Recorder’s office and signing an affidavit stating the circumstances.

If the voter makes a mistake and wants to obtain a new ballot, the original ballot must be voided by the election administrator before a new ballot can be issued.

Since the record is marked when the person returns a ballot, a replacement or spoiled ballot cannot be issued if their record is marked as voted.

The ballots were mailed on October 19, 2015 which will allow the voters plenty of time to vote and return their ballot.

Ballots do not have to be voted immediately upon receipt, however, ballots must be received by the Clerk and Recorder’s office by 8 p.m., November 3, 2015.

Ballots may be mailed to the election office (a 49 cent stamp must be affixed), or they may be dropped off at the Blaine County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.