Tax Bills Available Online Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015

Missoula County tax bills will be mailed the first week of November to all area residents. Tax bills will also be available online Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. Instructions to access these bills are below. Taxes are due Dec. 10, 2015.

Montana law requires that taxes are due within 30 days after the tax notice is postmarked. Tax payments will be accepted as early as Oct. 31.

Taxes can be paid:

• By mail: 200 West Broadway, Missoula MT, 59803.
• Online payment: https://csa.co.missoula.mt.us/itax/.
• In-person: Missoula County Courthouse Annex.
• Courthouse drop box: located within the west parking lot of the Courthouse.

To access tax bills online:

•  Visit: https://csa.co.missoula.mt.us/itax/.
• Searches can be completed by last name or tax ID.
• After the query has run, click “Show Current Tax Bill” within the middle of the screen.
• Electronic versions of the bill can be saved or printed from this window.

Dispelling Election Myths

“When I update my address at the post office, DMV, or any other government office, my voter registration is updated too.”

• MYTH: Even though your information is updated via one government agency, it does not mean that information is updated in sister agencies. Changes in a voter’s information require a signature, meaning your information can not be updated in other agencies without that signature. Only one government office partners with ours to register you and that is the Driver’s License Center. There, voters can register to vote as they update or receive a new driver’s license. In the end, if you’ve moved, changed your name, or opened up a new PO Box, add filling out a new voter registration card to the list of things to update.

“If you vote, you will be summoned to serve as a juror.”

• MYTH: Voter registration was formerly the only source to summon jurors. However, over time, due to huge shifts in voter registrations, vehicle registration was added to the juror pull. This helped reduce the number of new registrations and cancellations before and after elections and keep voter registration numbers steady. Election Administrators rely on accurate voter registration numbers to run a successful election (for example, they need to know how many ballots to print!). As long as you own a car and/or are registered to vote, you will be called for jury duty!

“Election voting machines are rigged because they’re programmed overseas.”

• MYTH: False, false, and false! Election reform kicked off after the Election of 2000 (remember the hanging chad?). Before 2000, systems and practices were not uniform across counties or states. But after this controversy, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 to reform voting systems and practices. Today, there is intense scrutiny on voting equipment and it can take years for a voting machine to be approved. For instance, any new technology has to go through rigorous testing at the federal level, which can take years as they test equipment for everything (heat, cold, elevation, humidity, fire, you name it!). After the federal certification process, voting equipment must be certified at a state level. This can take several months of rigorous testing. Any software or hardware associated with the voting machines goes through all the same processes. Missoula County works with a vendor from Omaha, Nebraska named Election Systems & Software. ES&S covers 75 percent of the United States and is in good standing with the Election Assistance Commission. Any programming, or technical assistance is all done domestically. In fact, our technician who services and maintains all of our equipment is from Butte! All of our machines are tested several times before an election to confirm their accuracy. The greatest testament to the accuracy of our voting machines is that the results have always been upheld when recount (ballots counted by hand) have been done over the years.

“If you don’t vote all the races on the ballot, it won’t count.”

• MYTH: As a voter, you have the right to vote every race on the ballot, a few, or none. If you skip a race, it will not invalidate your ballot. When a voter opts out of a race, that blank race is counted as an “under vote” and the remaining voted races will be counted. A vote does not count if you make too many selections in a race. When too many selections are made, that is called an “over vote.” But again, the remaining races will be counted if done so correctly. Voters also do not have to vote on every issue within the same ballot. Only those voted upon will be counted. Those left blank will in no way invalidate your ballot. 

“Absentee ballots are not secret.”

• MYTH: An absentee ballot packet includes: Instructions, a ballot, a blue secrecy envelope, and a signature envelope. The blue secrecy envelope protects the voter’s ballot from viewing as it goes through the receiving process. For an absentee ballot to be accepted, the signature on the outer signature envelope must be verified and accepted in the voter database. The ballot packet is placed with other accepted ballot packets to be reconciled. Once it has been determined that the number of physical ballots match the number that have been recorded in the system, the separation process begins. It is at this stage that the blue secrecy envelope is removed from the signature envelope and is grouped with other blue secrecy envelopes in preparation for counting. Up to this point, the ballot has not been removed from the secrecy envelope, which prevents anyone working in this process to see how someone has voted. Sometimes voters fear that someone will see how they voted, so they remove their name and address from the signature envelope. If our office receives a ballot packet without any identifying information, which prevents us from assigning voter credit to that person, we cannot accept that ballot. 

“Ex-Convicts cannot vote.”

• MYTH: This is a rule that varies state by state, and Montana is a state that allows ex-cons to vote. If you are serving in a penal institution, meaning a judge has sentenced you and time is being served, you lose your right to vote. However, once you leave that penal institution, your right to vote is reinstated. A half-way-house or probation is not a penal institution, so even in these circumstances you can vote. 

“If you live overseas, you cannot vote.”

• MYTH: Totally false! If you are a member of the military, whether domestic or overseas, or if you’re a U.S. citizen residing overseas, you still maintain a right to vote. Voters living overseas are protected by the Uniform & Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) which requires that UOCAVA voters be mailed a ballot 45 days before a federal election, have access to electronic ballots, and have the option to return their mail ballot electronically. Missoula has roughly 600 UOCAVA voters and they have a strong voting presence! UOCAVA is a federal program and a voter may register for this status by completing a Federal Post Card Application. It is through this application that the voter affirms their voting status and can list their voting preference (mail, fax, paper). Having options to vote can ensure the voter receives a ballot and its return to our office. Other country’s mailing systems are questionable and lengthy, therefore by emailing or faxing a ballot adds security and confidence to voting overseas. 

Late Registration Voting Process

Not all states have the option to register to vote after the 30-day deadline before an election. In fact, only ten states and the District of Columbia have a form of late registration in place Montana is one of those ten states!

Thirty-days before an election, there is a deadline to register to vote which is known as “close of voter registration.” In some states, if you miss this deadline, you could potentially miss your opportunity to participate in that election. In Montana, voters are fortunate to have Late and Same Day Voter Registration. The 29^th  day before an election kicks of late registration. Within that 29 day window, voters are able to register to vote, update their information and receive an absentee ballot. An absentee ballot essentially means you’re absent from the polls. Since 1999, Montana voters do not have to list a reason for requesting an absentee ballot. Prior to that, an absentee ballot was only issued if you were out of town or ill and could not make it to your polling place.

Voters who have moved within Missoula County or Montana, changed their last name, are a new registrant, or any other changes in voter information are eligible for late registration. The voter simply provides either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number for verification. The voter’s information is then entered into the voter database and their information is affirmed by them signing a voter registration card, swearing that all of the provided information is true and correct. The final step is the voter receives voting instructions and a ballot. Late registrants may only deposit their ballot at designated election offices, such as the Missoula County Courthouse or Elections Center, located at the Western Montana Fairgrounds. 

On Election Day, late registration transitions into same day voter registration. The same processes in late registration applies with same day registration. The one difference is that some voters are required to vote a provisional ballot. Voters who move within Missoula County, or from another county must vote provisional to ensure only one vote is counted. This is a safeguard in case a voter cast a ballot in their old precinct, which is rarely found. Provisional ballots are counted the Monday following the election. This provides sufficient time to check the precinct register or previous county of that voter to ensure another ballot was not counted. A voter who is new to the voter database casts a regular ballot on Election Day.

Finally, the 29 days before an election, the Election Office sees very little wait times or lines. However, on Election Day, lines do happen with same day voter registration. The registration process on Election Day can take 10 minutes to 20 minutes, depending on that voter’s situation. Take this time and multiply it by the number of voters who appear, and lines are inevitable. In 2012, the Elections Office experienced 3.5 hour wait times for same day registration. We have changed our processes and procedures to combat wait times. This was proven in November of 2014 with only 30 minute wait times but the possibility of lines still remains. The highest voter turnout for an election is during presidential years. The Missoula County Elections Office is projecting anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 voters to appear for same day registration in November of 2016. We urge voters to take advantage of the 29 days before an election and not wait until Election Day. We don’t want lines as much as the voter wants to wait in one. As the modified, old saying goes: “vote early and in every election!”

The Life of Your Ballot

1. Type of Election, Filing and Deadlines

• The date the election is held determines the type of ballot to be generated. School, Municipal, Special Election, Federal Primary, Federal General are the types of elections held in Missoula County. 
• The “close of candidate filing” varies from 75 days to 85 days before Election Day, depending on the type of election. In addition, ballot issues must satisfy the petition process or be passed by a governing body 70-75 days prior, depending on the election.
• These deadlines allow the Elections Office to have final language to put on the ballot. This information is entered in a portal for the ballot vendor can create a proof. 

2. Proofing 

• The proofing process can take several days as text on the ballot is cross-checked against the original paperwork. The Elections Office looks at the way the candidate wants their name to appear on the ballot and any resolution or petition paperwork for a ballot issue. 
• For a small election the proofing process can take a day or two. For a federal election, it can take more than a week. For example, in the 2014 June Primary, the Elections Office proofed 75 ballot styles due to both Republican and Democrat ballots. The voter may choose which party ballot they intend to vote, but they cannot vote both.

3. Finalizing

• While the Elections Office proofs ballots, they are simultaneously finalizing printing numbers. Law requires that the Elections Office print a ballot for every active voter. To ensure we do not run out of ballots during an election, we also print a ballot for every inactive voter, plus extra for replacement ballots and new registrants. Missoula County currently has nearly 74,000 voters.

4. Printing

• Once the ballot is finalized and the Election Office has determined how many ballots to print, the ballot goes to a local printer for printing. The printing process can take several days, especially if there is print on the backside of the ballot. It takes a day for the front side to dry before printing on the back.  The printing process is very meticulous and an Elections staff member is present through the whole process. 
• After printing, ballots are delivered to the Elections Center where they can be stored with high security measures. Ballots are then divided into ballots for polling places and ballots being mailed to absentee voters. 

5. Mailing

• Absentee ballots must be mailed 25 days prior to the election. Ballot preparation can start 40 days before the mailing date to ensure our office can successfully mail within the 25 day time-frame. 
• For a large election, the Election Office uses 30 to 40 staff members to prepare ballot packets for mailing. 
• Once ballots are mailed, voters can track their ballot through the process by visiting the Secretary of State My Voter Page. Voters can confirm their mailing address and see the current status of their ballot for federal elections. 

6. Testing

• At least two times before an election, ballots are tested in each voting machine used on Election Day. This ensures accuracy and proper tabulation of the ballot. 

7. Verifying & Accepting

• As absentee ballots are returned in the mail or in person before (and on) Election Day, the signature portion on the absentee packet is verified. The signature on the envelope must match the signature on the voter’s file. An election worker verifies each signature manually.
• Accepted ballots are then reconciled to ensure the physical count matches what has been recorded in the database. 

8. Counting 

• Ballots are not counted before Election Day. Ballots for a federal election can be opened the Monday before a Primary or General to ensure the ballot is flattened, which helps the ballot go through the tabulation machine more efficiently. This also provides the Elections Office a head start on tabulation on Election Day so that we have a large percentage of votes recorded by the close of polls. 
• Ballots cast at a polling place are tabulated through the precinct counting machine, also known as the M100. Each precinct’s results are added to the absentee results for an overall total. This is done after 8 p.m. on election night. 
• After all the ballots are counted, they are stored by their ballot type in boxes. Once sealed, they can only be reopened with a court order, unless a recount or post-election audit is conducted. 

9. Post-Election Audit

• A post-election audit is when the Secretary of State assigns a handful of precincts to be counted by hand. This ensures the hand count number can verify and validate the voting machine results. Post-election audits are only conducted for Federal Primary and General elections.

10. Storage

• After an election, a ballot is stored for two years for a federal election and one year for a local election in our warehouse. After its retention time, the Elections Office submits a request to state and county agencies to destroy the ballot. Once all of the agencies have signed off on a destruction form, the ballots are then taken to the landfill for their final resting place. 

Phyllis Sauter, Missoula County Election Deputy Extraordinaire

Phyllis Sauter is no stranger to Missoula County Elections. Even before she became an Election Deputy 15 years ago, Phyllis was a long-standing Election Judge. Her love of politics and history first drew Phyllis to elections and she has been a strong advocate of the democratic process her entire life.

“I’ve always thought that if people don’t take advantage of voting and don’t show their preferences by voting that we as a country could lose our privileges,” Phyllis said. “I got involved in the early 1990s because I care about our process and don’t want that to happen.”

Although Phyllis’ day-to-day work varies between helping customers and working in the Elections Office warehouse, she is one of the main contributors in the ballot preparation process. She helps to oversee the ballot printing process, distributes ballots to voters, verifies and works through petitions and sets up the equipment for poll elections.

Phyllis Sauter prepping ballots for the November election. 

“I do many different things throughout the election process,” Phyllis said. “What can be the most difficult at times is entering in voter registration information. There can be hundreds of entries, especially before an election, and reading everything on a card can be hard.”

But for Phyllis, all the hard work and stress pays off on Election Day when she sees all the citizens turning out to vote.

“It’s good to know you’re a part of this process and that people are taking advantage of it,” she said.

When Phyllis is not working at the Elections Office she enjoys spending time with her husband of 35 years, Dennis.  She has two sons, Ron and Duane , and a daughter, Kelly. Her two grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, one great-grandchild and five great-grandchildren keep her busy. She also likes reading anything written by James Patterson.