General Election Absentee Ballots Will be in the Mail Soon
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The U.S. General Election is Tuesday, November 5, and the Missoula County Elections Office will be mailing out absentee ballots starting on Friday.
I spoke with Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman on Wednesday who provided the details.
It All Comes Down to General Election Day on November 5
“We are well underway with our prep work for the upcoming election,” began Seaman. “We are about to mail out just under 65,000 ballots to voters across Missoula, and so we have been working hard here to get those prepared. It takes us about two weeks to get everything prepared and ready to go.”
All of the countless ads on TV, radio and filling up your mailboxes are leading up to the big day on November 5.
We'll Be Voting for Federal State Candidates and Constitutional Initiatives
“This is the big show,” he said. “This is going to be our federal Presidential election. So every voter in Missoula is going to get to vote on the president. They will also get to vote on our U.S. Senator as well as our state Congressional representative. We will also be voting on our statewide candidates; our Secretary of State is on the ballot, our Attorney General, all of our statewide candidates, as well as our State House and Senate.”
Seaman said there will also be three Constitutional Initiatives on the general election ballot.
“Those are going to be CI 126, 127, and 128, and voters should have received a voter information pamphlet, a ‘VIP’ and those should be in your mailbox already,” he said. “We also have them available here if you didn't get one, and it's going to walk you through from the people who presented these ballot issues, why you should vote, for them and from people who are in opposition, why you might not want to vote for them. So that comes directly through the Secretary of State's office.”
READ MORE: Voter Registration Deadline in Each State for General Election
Seaman Said His Office Will Provide Voter Assistance in Outlying Communities
Seaman said his office will hit the road next week to assist voters in outlying Missoula County communities to assist them with any voting issues.
“Starting next week, we're heading up to Seeley Lake; we're going to Lolo; we'll be in Frenchtown, and we'll also be at the University of Montana and in Evaro,” he said. “So there'll be multiple times where we can help get people set up and anything they'd need to do at our office, get registered, cast a ballot or drop off their ballot securely. They can do it at one of these voter services events.”
If you are mailing your ballots, Seaman said the USPS recommends mailing ballots no later than Tuesday, October 29, or seven days before Election Day.
Seaman emphasized that same day voter registration is still allowed in Montana, so voters can register at the Election Center at 140 North Russell in Missoula.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker