Then, fill out those ballots and return them.
It's never been easier to participate in that most vital civic duty: the vote. But as with most democratic processes, the success of mail-in ballot elections depends on the willingness of the people to participate.
Mail-in ballots are a relatively simple way to drastically increase voter turnout. Consider that Missoula's Elections Office typically records a voter participation rate of only about
6 percent for elections that don't include a mayor's race or several high-profile issues. By comparison, its first-ever mail-in ballot primary elections last month drew a voter participation rate of more than
22 percent.
Of course, the vote-by-mail system isn't completely free of kinks. In August, for instance, more than 42,000 ballots were mailed to registered voters for the City Council primary election, and nearly 12,000 of them never reached their intended voter.
That's partly because many of these registered voters were University of Montana students who either graduated and moved away or changed addresses and didn't notify the Elections Office. It was also because the National Voter Registration Act required election officials to deactivate the registrations of people who didn't vote in the last November election, and at the time the primary ballots were sent, the Elections Office had not completed that process. Consequently, a large number of ballots were sent to people whose registration information wasn't current.
The deactivation process is complete now, and elections officials expect all 51,313 ballots issued Tuesday to go to active, registered voters in Missoula County. As these ballots are returned, officials will match the signature on each ballot with the signature it keeps on file to verify that the ballots are being filled out by the right voters. If any signatures don't match, they will ask the voter to come down to the Missoula County Courthouse to verify the ballot in person.
During the primary elections, officials only had to call in a handful of people. It seems a couple of husbands and wives got their ballots mixed up and signed the wrong ones.
The sooner voters fill out and return their ballots, the sooner such potential mix-ups can be addressed and corrected. Remember, it's up to Missoula's voters to stay informed of their voting rights and responsibilities - and to help make this election a success.
Here's what you need to know:
If you are a registered voter and do not receive a ballot in the mail by Saturday, call the elections office at 258-4751.
The ballot you receive in the mail is the one you need to mark and return. There will be no voting at traditional polling places for this fall's city elections.
Your ballot must be returned to the Elections Office by mail or in person no later than 8 p.m. on Nov. 6. Ballots received after 8 p.m. on Nov. 6 will not be counted, even if they are postmarked with a prior date.
A mailed ballot requires a 41-cent stamp. The address: Missoula County Elections Office, 200 W. Broadway, Missoula, MT 59802-4292.
A ballot returned in person goes to the elections office, 200 W. Broadway, in the Missoula County Courthouse. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
On Election Day only, voters can take their ballots to five other drop-off locations that will be staffed by election workers from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those one-day collection points will be at these schools: Rattlesnake, Paxson, Russell, Hellgate Elementary and Cold Springs.
AutoMark machines will be available for people who need help marking their ballots.
An AutoMark will be available at the Missoula County Courthouse through Nov. 6, and at the drop-off sites on Election Day.
And as always, if you have any questions about the process, call the folks over at Elections Office. They're ready to answer any questions and help make the voting process as easy as possible.
That is, after all, why they sent out mail-in ballots in the first place.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)