Who is Eligible to Vote in November’s General Election?

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Yes, it’s only August, but those deeply concerned about the coming general election in November are asking officials to make sure that only those legally eligible to vote will be allowed to cast ballots.

I spoke with Missoula County Election Administrator Bradley Seaman this week about the national, state, and local efforts to ensure voter integrity.

Bradley Seaman Explains Election Integrity

“This actually comes from the federal government on down,” began Seaman. “In 1992 and 1993 they passed the National Voter Registration Act, which required that you needed to be a citizen in 1992 in order to be eligible to vote, and gave states guidance on what they would include on their voter registration form. That was reiterated in 2002 with the Help America Vote Act, which provided additional funding to states and counties to help support election integrity.”

Seaman then brought the matter of voter identification to the State of Montana.

All Registered Voters Must Have Proper Identification

“Everybody who registers in Montana has to go through and they need to mark their eligibility,” he said. “They must be a U.S. citizen: they must be at least 18 and a resident of Montana, and they must provide identifying information, such as a driver's license or a social security number to help confirm they are who they say they are.”

Seaman then brought the matter home to Missoula.

“Every elections office is going to check those eligibility requirements are marked, but that's self-affirming. There’s no such thing as a national database that says you are a citizen to prove that. As we go through the process, we do have open voter rolls. Anybody can get a list of our voter rolls, and if they see names on the rolls that shouldn't be, they can reach out to our office, and there's a process to make sure that everybody is eligible.”

READ MORE: Montana Leaders Respond to President Biden's Election Exit

Naturalized Citizens are Proud to Cast their Ballots in a Free Country

Seaman and I have both attended naturalization ceremonies held at the Federal Courthouse, where people from all over the world who have completed the process are sworn in as U.S. citizens, and they are always inspiring.

“We'll go to a naturalization ceremony,” he said. “They're done regionally, so it tends to cover the western portion of the state. We'll go, and we'll encourage new citizens to sign up and register to vote, and it's a fantastic opportunity. It's such a heartwarming moment for them, for the completion of their journey, and for us as the elections office, to be invited to go there and help with that next step when you're a citizen participating in the process.”

The General Election is coming up on Tuesday, November 5.