MONTANA — Starting today, voters across the state of Montana can go to their elections office and fill out their 2020 ballot.
“This is a standard practice for all elections, whether it's an absentee polling place election or a mail-ballot election,” said Gallatin County Elections Manager Casey Hayes.
That means if you’re a resident of Gallatin County, you can head to the County Courthouse on Main Street as early as Friday, October 2nd, vote in person, and deposit your ballot.
“To avoid the lines and the crowds if people can find a time in the coming month to conduct their voting in person that would be appreciated by all of us conducting the election, especially those on election day,’ said Hayes.
If you’re signed up to receive an absentee ballot you can still opt to vote in-person.
“In some instances, voters will come in, that ballot is already prepared to be mailed out. So they’ll have to sign an affidavit saying they wish to have the first ballot voided and then another ballot reissued and that they will not vote another ballot when they receive it in the mail,” said Hayes.
The elections office says voter fraud has not historically been a problem. But they will be keeping a sharp eye for it.
“Our concern with this election is anyone that is going to attempt to vote more than once. A voter cannot be issued more than one ballot in the database,” said Hayes.
‘So when we void and reissue a ballot for somebody that appears in person, we would expect and anticipate that they would not be voting that second ballot and they would sign an affidavit stating as such.”
And if the elections office does receive a second ballot.
“It will go to the county attorney’s office and the elections office will consider prosecution for voter fraud.”
All counties across the state of Montana can vote in person starting tomorrow including our viewers in Park, Broadwater, Jefferson, Silver bow, Beaverhead, and Madison County.
You can check online to see when your county's election office is open
Absentee ballots will be mailed out on October 9th.
