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

Mail ballot elections are being used more and more across Montana. They allow the voters the convenience of voting at home and increased voter turnout in the election. Ballots are mailed directly to each eligible active voter. Inactive voters may obtain a ballot by completing a voter registration card or absentee request to update their information. A voter may call the Clerk & Recorder’s office to check on their voter registration status or they may check their status online at MY VOTER PAGE at http://www.MyVoterPageMT.com

Included in the mail ballot packet 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 yellow 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 and the secrecy envelope containing the ballot is removed. The emptied return envelope is tracked and filed, providing a record of when the ballot was returned by the voter. The sealed secrecy envelope containing the ballot is not opened at this time; it is stored separately in a sealed ballot box until election day when it is opened and counted. No one sees the ballot and, since it is separated from the signed envelope, the secrecy of the ballot is preserved.

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, it appears that a voter tried to vote twice by submitting more than one ballot, and none in that envelope can be counted.

What if the voter’s address is incorrect in the voter registration information and the ballot is returned to the election office by the post office? The staff of the Clerk & Recorder’s office will try to reach the voter to let them know that their ballot was returned. They can come to the Clerk & Recorder’s office to vote the ballot or specify a correct address in writing. Often people move and do not notify the Clerk & 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 makes a mistake, loses the ballot or it is destroyed, another one can be obtained by contacting the Clerk & Recorder’s office and signing an affidavit stating the circumstances. 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, 2017 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 & Recorder’s office by 8 p.m., November 7, 2017. 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 & Recorder’s Office.