Voters begin casting ballots

Voting is under way for the November 3 general election. Sanders County ballots were mailed last Friday, October 9, and ballots are already being returned to the county election office.

Bobbi Christenson with the election office said that 8,314 ballots were issued to Sanders County voters. Of those, 39 were mailed to uniformed and overseas citizens. Sixty-one voters cast their ballots early, between September 28 and when ballots were mailed.

As of Tuesday evening, almost 300 ballots had been turned it at the drop boxes at the Sanders County courthouse.

The elections office reminds voters to update information if they move or their address changes. Christenson said that 27 ballots had been voided, and another 156 were returned to the office in the mail on Tuesday alone as undeliverable. The election office said that is primarily due to people who have moved, but did not let the elections office know until after ballots were issued.

Voters can vote in-person at the county elections office in the Sanders County Courthouse. Election Administrator Nichol Scribner said that people can bring their ballot packet into the election office, vote the ballot at a designated voting table and drop the voted ballot in a ballot box in the office.

Drop boxes are available throughout Sanders County and will be open on Thursday, October 22 and Thursday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations: Dixon Senior Center, 35 3rd St.; Heron Community Center, 170 Railroad Ave.; Hot Springs Senior Center, 101 Main St.; Noxon Emergency Services, 311 Noxon Ave.; Plains/Paradise Senior Center, 205 W. Meany St.; Trout Creek School, 4 School Lane. A drop box is also located at the Sanders County Courthouse. Ballots can be dropped off at the courthouse Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. On election day, November 3, the drop-off sites throughout the county, including the courthouse, will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Scribner said that is people have not received a ballot in the mail and were expecting one, they should call the election office at 827-6949 to validate their mailing address. Scribner also said that people should use blue or black ink to mark their ballots. She advises against using pencil or a marker to vote a ballot, as the marker ink can bleed through to the back side of the ballot.

Ballots include prepaid postage, but Scribner said she is encouraging voters to mail ballots early if they are choosing to send the ballot through the mail. Ballots must be received by the county elections office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. Postmark dates will not count as received. Action challenging the postmark rule for ballots was blocked by the state Supreme Court earlier this month. Or, Scribner, said, use the drop-off sites listed earlier.

Scribner said voters need to be sure to sign on the designated signature line on the back of the outer envelope for the ballot.

More information about Sanders County elections is available online at co.sanders.mt.us/departments/elections. Voters can follow their ballot at the state's My Voter Page, app.mt.gov/voterinfo.

The page tracks when a ballot is mailed and received by the county election office.