Missed the voter registration deadline? It’s not too late!
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th – which every person reading this already knows because they were registered to vote before this year’s regular deadline of Oct. 9th, right?
If you’re not sure and would like to find out the status of your voter record, log on to www.votinginmontana.com and click ‘My Voter Page’ at the top of the screen. You’ll be rerouted to the Montana Secretary of State’s voter information service. By simply entering your first and last name with your date of birth, you can see if you’re registered to vote, whether you’re an active or inactive voter, whether you’re signed up to vote absentee, and the location of your polling place. You can also view or download a sample ballot.
Do you still want the opportunity to vote but aren’t yet registered? Maybe you just relocated to Southwest Montana and haven’t had the chance to update your current registration. The few who didn’t quite make the initial deadline needn’t fret! The Late Registration period is now in effect, continuing through noon on Nov. 5th and resuming again on Election Day from 7am–8pm.
During the final weeks leading up to Nov. 6th, these prospective voters MUST visit the Election Office in person. Please bring your driver’s license and/or social security number if you plan to register during this period. If neither are available, you may still be eligible using alternative forms of identification. Stop by the office or call (406) 582-3060 in these cases.
The Election Office can be found in Room 210 of the Gallatin County Courthouse, located at 311 W Main in Bozeman. Late registrants will be given a ballot with the option to vote then and there or to take it with them to fill-out at home. ALL ballots must be returned to the Election Office or official polling place by 8pm on Election Day. A drive-by tent will also be set up in front of the Courthouse on Nov. 6th to collect ballots.
Note: If you’re mailing back an absentee ballot, do so the week before Election Day to ensure it will be received in time to be counted. And please, remember to SIGN the affidavit on the back of the envelope. Unsigned envelopes will not be counted.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th with local polling places open from 7am–8pm. Don’t let political fatigue keep you from exercising your inalienable right and civic duty to get out and vote!
Content for this announcement has been provided by Charlotte Mills, the Clerk & Recorder/Election Administrator of Gallatin County. She has held this office since January 2007. •
