MISSOULA — There’s a lot to know leading up to the Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, election so here’s a quick rundown of things that may be helpful.
The office at the Missoula County Elections Office will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. The office will be closed on Sunday.
Late voter registration is available from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, after which time you can only pick up an absentee or undeliverable ballot until 5 p.m.
The Missoula County Elections Office at 140 North Russell Street will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day and same-day registration will be available. However, a wait time of up to three hours is possible.
People with questions about their ballots or who have circumstances that prevent them from dropping them off can contact the elections office at 406-258-4751 or via email for assistance.
On top of these tidbits, there is also a whole process currently going on at the Missoula County Elections Center.
“We go through a couple of different processes and the first is sorting our ballots by the style, the unique combination of what you get to vote on and how we got it. Did it come in the mail or through a dropbox?” Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman said.
From there, the election officials begin to check the signatures.
“Then we go on to our next step where we prepare those and we scan the barcode on that signature affirmation envelope and that's gonna bring up all of the different signatures we have on file for a voter. And then we're gonna compare that to what's in the database. And if it matches, we're gonna accept that ballot and track it in the database as an accepted ballot. From there, we're going to print a report that reflects that and we're going to check those ballots that came into that report from that step." - Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman
The process of your ballot being counted is still in the early phases here as there are many steps to go.
“As they verify that report, they're then gonna take the secrecy envelope out of the signature envelope. So when we take that out, we're gonna separate those out," Seaman explained. "And say we're gonna have 25 envelopes and 25 secrecy envelopes. So we can track those through from there.”
Throughout the whole process, various reports are made, tracking each step of the processing, to ensure that any mistakes made are caught and corrected.
“We go through and we remove that ballot from there," Seaman told MTN. "We're gonna make sure that that secrecy envelope has a ballot that it only has one ballot and that it's for the right election.”
“From there, we seal it all up and it goes over to our counting center with that same report," Seaman continued.
While the process may be tedious, Seaman says it's vital to double and then triple-check that all ballots are correct and can be properly counted.
“Signatures to secrecy, secrecy to ballots, ballots counted. So that way we can track those all the way through the process," Seaman noted.”
So, as the election quickly draws to a close, know that election officials are working hard to make sure that every vote that is cast is valid and counted through a rigorous process.
If you are interested in checking out the process for yourself, the elections center offers free tours to the public that anyone is welcome to attend. Click here for more information.
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Additional information from the Missoula County Elections Office:
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, Federal General Election Important Dates
- Friday, Sept. 20 - UOCAVA ballots mail
- Monday, Oct. 7 - Close of regular registration. Voters can register via mail/email through this date.
- Tuesday, Oct. 8 - Late registration begins. Those wanting to register to vote must do so in person at the Missoula County Elections Office Building B, located at 140 N. Russell St., or at voter services event (see below).
- Friday, Oct. 11 - Absentee ballots mail.
- Monday, Nov. 4 - Late registration ends at 12 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 5 - Election Day. Polling places and election office open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Same-day registration is available at the Elections Office or at the Gray Wolf Voter Services event.
- Additional details are available on the Secretary of State's website.
- Check your voting status on the My Voter Page.
- View a PDF of all sample ballots.
Voter Services Events
Need to register to vote or request a replacement ballot? Elections Office staff will be hosting voter services events around the County:
- 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 Seeley Lake Tax Extension Office 3360 HWY 83 N
- 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 Lolo School 5305 Farm Lane
- 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22 Frenchtown Fire Station16875 Marion St.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29 James E. Todd Building University of Montana
- 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 Gray Wolf Peak Satellite Office 20750 US-93
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2: Gray Wolf Peak Satellite Office 20750 US-93
- 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 Gray Wolf Peak Satellite Office 20750 US-93
Election Process Tour Dates:
- 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29: 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 ensure they are operating correctly for voting locations on Election Day.
- 10:45 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 31: Ballot processing. Attendees will observe staff and volunteers following the multi-step process used to verify signatures, process ballots and ensure that each ballot cast is counted.
- 8:45 a.m. Monday, Nov. 4: Ballot tabulation. Attendees will observe staff conducting the final test of equipment, as well as the counting and retention process for voted ballots.
- 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12: Provisional ballot count. Attendees will observe staff counting any accepted provisional ballots for the election.
- 8:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15: Post-election audit. Attendees will observe the process used to confirm that equipment worked correctly during the election. This is an audit of any ballot counting machines used during the election. It is completed by comparing a hand-count of ballots to the results from the equipment.
- 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18: Election canvass. State law requires the Elections Office and three county elected officials to verify the election with a canvass. The canvass ensures 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.
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