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.