Early ballots heading out in the mail
<p>Tony Brockman, left, and Clifford Lee sort through envelopes they stuffed with absentee ballots Friday afternoon at the temporary elections office in the Country Fair Kitchen at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. "It's been an all week process," Brockman said. Flathead County is mailing out 11,500 absentee ballots as early voting begins today.</p>
<p>Anita Hoye double-checks absentee ballots Friday afternoon at the temporary election office location at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.</p>
Ballots go out in the mail today as early voting begins for the June 5 primary election.
The primary ballot contains choices for president, governor, county commissioner, judges and Legislature, among other races.
The primary election is separate from voting in local school districts that will be conducted Tuesday.
In Flathead County, 11,500 absentee ballots are destined for the post office, elections Deputy Monica Eisenzimer said.
That number represents 20 percent of the 57,368 registered voters in the county.
The number of early ballots this year is up 62 percent from the last presidential-election year primary. In 2008, a total of 7,077 absentee ballots were cast in Flathead County, Eisenzimer said.
Voters who didn't request an absentee ballot in advance of today's mailing date still may vote early.
Absentee ballots may be requested up until noon on Monday, June 4, the day before the primary election.
In Flathead County, people may request an absentee ballot several ways.
Those include going to the elections office, which is temporarily located in the Country Fair Kitchen at the Flathead County Fairgrounds at 265 N. Meridian Road in Kalispell. Voters can get an absentee ballot there, take it home and mail it back or return it in person.
Or voters may fill out their absentee ballots at the election office. It's open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Voters also may submit a written request to have a ballot mailed to them before June 4. Those requests are to be sent to the elections office at 800 S. Main St., Room 115, Kalispell, MT 59901.
Absentee ballot request forms may be downloaded from the county website at http://flathead.mt.gov/election/ or on the Montana Secretary of State's website at sos.mt.gov/Elections.
In Montana, people may register to vote as late as Election Day, Secretary of State Linda McCulloch said.
In Flathead County, all voter registration is now taking place at the temporary elections office at the fairgrounds.
“I've worked hard to keep voter registration open right up through the close of polls on Election Day,” McCulloch said. “I'm committed to ensuring that every qualified person in Montana has ample opportunity to securely exercise their right to vote.”
Voters can confirm they are registered to vote by going to the secretary of state's website and using the “My Voter Page” link. That site provides information on what precinct, house district and senate district a voter resides in and where a voter's polling place is located.
Voters also can obtain sample ballots through the “My Voter Page” link.
Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.