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!”