Missoula County Government: Elections Office Invites Residents To Participate In Vote Early Day, Extended Hours, Process Tours

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

10/19/2021 10:00 AM

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The Missoula County Elections Office invites all City of Missoula and Missoula County residents to participate in Vote Early Day, Saturday, Oct. 23, to confirm their information is accurate and their ballot is received before the general election deadline.  

The office will offer extended hours on Vote Early Day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for voters to appear in person to register, receive and cast a ballot and make sure their voice is heard. This service will allow all voters, especially voters who work during normal business hours, an extra opportunity to participate in democracy.

Voters are invited to join elections staff at noon for a process tour to observe the ballot validation and counting process. Each step of the process will be modeled in person and there will be time for questions and answers during each step. Watching ballots be processed will help voters understand the required verification steps that guarantee election integrity.

“We are excited to participate in Vote Early Day and offer extended hours in the weeks leading up to the general election,” Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman said. “Our staff and elections judges go above and beyond to make it possible for all residents to vote in every election, and voters will get a chance to witness this at the noon tour.”

Ballots can be dropped off by any trusted person as long as the registered voter feels comfortable and confident in who they give their ballot to. The person delivering the ballot will not be required to show identification or sign documentation. Since this is a local election, voters can call the Elections Office at 406-258-4751 to confirm their ballot has been accepted. 

The Elections Office invites members of the public and media to once again tour the processes that take place leading up to and after Election Day that confirm the accuracy and integrity of elections. The following will take place in the Elections Center: 

• 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23: Ballot processing. Attendees will observe staff and volunteers following the multi-step process used to verify signatures, process ballots and confirm that each ballot cast is counted.
• 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26: Election equipment testing. Elections staff will test the tabulators used to count ballots to ensure they are working properly ahead of Election Day. They will also test the ADA-compliant ExpressVote ballot marking devices to guarantee they are operating correctly for drop-off locations on Election Day.
• 12 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28: Early ballot prep and ballot processing. Attendees will observe staff and volunteers following the multi-step process used to verify signatures, process ballots and confirm that each ballot cast is counted.
• 12 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1: Counting center process and ballot tabulation. Attendees will observe staff conducting the final test of equipment, as well as the counting and retention process for voted ballots.
• 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2: Election Day. All the election processes are open to the public and observers are welcome at any time.
• 2:45 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8: Provisional ballot count. Attendees will observe staff counting any accepted provisional ballots for the election.
• 3:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15: Election canvass. State law requires the Elections Office and three county elected officials verify the election with a canvass. The canvass confirms the number of ballots voted are the number of ballots counted and that no ballots are missing or counted more than once. Media and public are invited to observe the canvass with the Missoula County commissioners and elections staff. 

The following extended hours, key dates and election resources are provided to help all Missoula City and County residents vote in the general election:  

Elections Center Extended Hours:

• Saturday, Oct. 23: Vote Early Day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 25-27: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursday and Friday, Oct. 28-29: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 30: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. a drive-thru ballot drop off will be available
• Tuesday, Nov. 2: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. a drive-thru ballot drop off will be available 

Key Dates and Resources:

Tuesday, Oct. 26: The USPS recommends mailing your ballot no later than seven days before Election Day, which is Tuesday, Oct. 26. If it is later than Oct. 26, please hand deliver your ballot to the Elections Center or at an Election Day-only ballot drop-off location. 

12 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1: Late registration closes. Residents will not be able register to vote and there will be limited opportunities to update their registration after this point. 

Tuesday, Nov. 2: Election Day. Ballots are due back to the Elections Office by 8 p.m. Late ballots will not be accepted, and postmarks are not sufficient.

MissoulaVotes.com: Missoula County Elections Office website, a beneficial resource for election questions, the candidate filings list and informational documents. 

Find My Ward, missoula.co/findmyward: Residents can see whether their address is in the City limits,find the nearest Election Day drop-off location and view what races will appear on their ballot based on their address. 

My Voter Page, https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo: Residents can download a registration form and verify voter registration status, address and district. 

Additional questions: Voters can contact the Elections Office by calling 406-258-4751 or by emailing electioninfo@missoulacounty.us with additional questions and to verify their ballot has been received.

Common voter questions are online at http://missoula.co/general2021faq. Voters can also learn how Missoula County ensures election integrity at http://missoula.co/electionintegrity. 

Seaman is available for media inquiries at bseaman@missoulacounty.us or 406-529-8980.

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This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.