Voting by Mail: A "How to" Guide

Montana's election process became significantly more efficient, effective, and useful to absentee voters as a result of bills supported by Montana Conservation Voters, and passed by the 2005 legislature and signed by Governor Schweitzer.

Any registered voter can vote by mail, even if he or she is able to vote in person on Election Day. To vote by mail, electors must apply for an absentee ballot; the applications are available from your local election office beginning 75 days before Election Day or you can download one here.

Military personnel serving outside the state or Montana residents living overseas may apply for an absentee ballot at any time.

You can also vote absentee at your local election office; absentee ballots will once again be available starting 45 days before a federal general election, 30 days before a federal primary election and 20 days before a municipal or local election, up until noon the day before Election Day.

Electors can deliver their absentee ballot application by mail or in person to the election official, unless delivered by a guardian or family member. Third parties - friends, civic groups, candidates, political parties, etc. - can also once again deliver absentee ballot request forms to election administrators on behalf of electors. The forms must be addressed and delivered or mailed directly to the appropriate election administrator. The election administrator will mail your ballot to you, unless you indicate on the application that you want someone else to pick up the ballot for you. Follow the instructions with the mail ballot and deliver it by the time polls close on election day.

If a legally registered absentee voter’s signature on his or her affirmation envelope (which must be returned with each absentee ballot) matches the elector’s signature on the absentee ballot request application, no additional identification is required. Provisionally registered electors (those who did not provide sufficient identification when registering to vote) must still supply either the absentee/mail ballot elector identification form or some other acceptable form of identification when voting by mail.

Permanent Absentee Voting by Mail:

Starting in 2005, electors will be able to register with the Secretary of State’s office to regularly receive an absentee ballot for elections. They can ask to be added to the permanent absentee voter list when complete an absentee ballot application or when they fill out the absentee ballot return envelope. Montana Conservation Voters has also urged the Secretary of State to develop a form which can be used at any time by any elector to request to be added to the permanent absentee voter list.

The elector can ask to be sent absentee ballots for all elections (including municipal), or for only federal elections. Electors on the permanent absentee voter list will be sent notices 75 days before each election asking them to confirm the mailing address to which the absentee ballot is to be sent; this form must be signed and returned before each election or no ballot will be sent to the elector and the person will be removed from the permanent absentee voter list.

Organizations that develop their own vote by mail applications will want to adapt their forms to accommodate this new option. The Secretary of State has developed a new application form, which is available through its web site, sos.mt.gov.

You can also call your local election office or the Secretary of State's toll-free voter hotline: 1-888-884-VOTE (8683), or visit the Secretary of State's web site at sos.mt.gov.

Information for "How to Vote by Absentee Ballot" provided by the Montana Secretary of State's Office.

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Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot, even if he or she is able to vote in person on Election Day.

To vote absentee, you must first apply for an absentee ballot. Applications are available during a period beginning 75 days before Election Day and ending at noon on the day before the election. You may pick one up at your local election office or at the Secretary of State's Office, or you may call either office and ask to have one mailed to you. You can also download a free application here.

Military personnel serving outside the state or Montana residents living overseas may apply for an absentee ballot at any time.

When filling out your application, you have the option to sign up for permanent absentee status; meaning you will automatically receive an absentee ballot for every election thereafter. Once you've submitted your application, your absentee ballot will be mailed to you, unless you indicate on the application that you would prefer to have someone pick it up for you. Once you've marked your ballot, return it to your local election office before the polls close on Election Day in the secrecy envelope that is provided.

The fastest way to vote absentee is to go directly to your local election office , usually in the county courthouse, where you can apply for a ballot and vote all at the same time.

For more information about voting, call your local election office or call the Secretary of State's toll-free voter hotline: 1-888-884-VOTE (8683). You can also contact our Election Bureau at 406-444-4732 or soselection@mt.gov.