Early voting begins soon for Nov. 6 election

Editor’s note: The Daily Inter Lake begins its coverage today for local state legislative and county races.

Daily Inter Lake

Early voting for the Nov. 6 general election will begin in less than two weeks.

Absentee ballots will be mailed on Oct. 12, according to the Flathead County Election Department. The deadline to register to receive an absentee ballot in the mail is Oct. 9. Application forms can be found on the county’s website at https://flathead.mt.gov/election

Absentee voting has been increasing in recent years. As of Monday nearly 32,000 Flathead County voters had registered to vote by absentee ballot, county Elections Manager Monica Eisenzimer said. The county currently has 68,019 registered voters, which includes both active and inactive voters, she said.

This year’s ballot includes two sheets of paper; both sheets need to be returned by 8 p.m. Nov. 6.

In order to vote in Flathead County elections, a person must be 18 years old or older on or before the next election, a citizen of the United States, have resided in Montana and Flathead County for at least 30 days and be registered to vote.

To register to vote visit the county Election Department at 40 11th St. W., Suite 230, in the South Campus Building weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For regular registration, a voter registration form must be postmarked or received by the Election Department at least 30 days before the election.

For late registration (anytime after the close of regular registration), a voter must appear in person at the Election Department up to and including election day, fill out a voter registration card, and vote a ballot that you receive from the election office staff.

To determine which precinct you’re in, click on the “My Voter Page” button on the Election Department website.

Flathead County continues to seek election judges for future elections. Responsibilities include supervising the conduct inside polling places and helping Montanans cast their ballot both privately and independently. Anyone interested in becoming an election judge can complete and return an application form found on the Election Department website.