Senate rejects mail ballots, absentee ballots available today

The Hill County Clerk and Recorder’s Office announced that today, one day after the Montana Senate rejected allowing mail ballots in the upcoming U.S. House of Representatives special election, absentee ballots are available in the courthouse.

The Republican-led Senate rejected Monday Gov. Steve Bullock’s amendment adding mail ballots for the special election to a separate election bill.

The Senate had narrowly passed a bill allowing mail ballots in the election, but that bill died in the House. Democrats were unable to blast it out of a Republican-controlled committee.

After Bullock amended another bill to revive mail ballots, House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, did not schedule the bill for a vote on the floor, effectively killing it.

But the bill was brought up for a vote in the Senate Monday.

The Senate voted 28-20 to kill the amendment. Sens. Frank Smith, D-Poplar, and Mike Lang, R-Malta, voted to kill the amendment while Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, voted to keep it alive.

In the March 31 vote that failed to bring the other mail ballot bill out of the committee in the House, Reps. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, and Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, voted to blast it out while Reps. Casey Knudsen, R-Malta, and Jim O’Hara, R-Fort Benton, voted against.

Monday’s vote comes after months of controversy with county officials, including many Republicans, urging the Legislature to allow a mail ballot election to fill the seat vacated when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took his new office.

Republican Greg Gianforte, Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks are running for the seat.

Election officials say the mail ballot could save counties up to $750,000 in conducting the special election.

Republican leaders have opposed the mail ballots, with Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, chair of the state Republican Party, saying getting more people voting would favor Democrats.

People still have the opportunity to vote by mail if they desire.

The Hill County Clerk and Recorder’s Office press release says absentee ballots are available in the office in the Hill County Courthouse.

People who want to vote absentee in the May 25 election can request an absentee ballot from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, or present identification and vote in person at the office.

People who are not registered can appear in person with identification at the Hill County Clerk and Recorder’s Office and vote their ballot, the release says.

People who are already on the absentee list will be mailed a ballot like any regular election. Electors can go to “My Voter Page” at https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo to verify if they are registered, verify their address, verify the location of their polling place, to check the status of their absentee ballot and view a sample ballot.

People who want an absentee ballot sent to them must make the request in writing. The written request must be signed by the person desiring the ballot and state their date of birth. It must state the name of the person designated to pick up the ballot or state the address to which the ballot is to be mailed. Each individual elector must sign for their own ballot. An elector may designate a person who may pick up their ballot, but the elector must personally sign the request.

The Hill County clerk and recorder and the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation also have reached an agreement for an alternate voting office.

The Hill County Election Department and the Chippewa Cree Tribe reached an agreement for an alternative voting office for the 2017 Special Federal Election. Hill County will have an alternative voting office open Wednesdays May 3, 10 and 17. It will be located on the Rocky Boy Reservation at the new Stone Child College in the foyer of the Kenawash Building, 8294 Upper Box Elder Road, Box Elder.

Late registration and absentee voting will be available for all Hill County residents from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at that office.

Absentee balloting and late registration will close at noon Wednesday, May 24. Late registration will be open on election day at 7 a.m. at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office and will close at 8 p.m. Polling locations for registered voters will be open on election day, Thursday, May 25, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The release says the Clerk and Recorder's Office is encouraging all voters to come to the courthouse or request an absentee ballot be mailed as polling places have changed for Havre precincts “and we want voters to be prepared and not confused on election day.”

For this special election, the polling places for Havre 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 25 have all been relocated to the Havre Ice Dome, 2585 5th Ave. SE.

The polling place for Precinct 28 will be at the Chippewa Cree Wellness Center, while the polling place for Precinct 18 will be at Box Elder School.

The polling place for the western Hill County precincts, 20, 21 and 22 will be at the Hi-Line Community Center in Hingham

“The Clerk and Recorder’s Office urges those who need to use the absentee balloting process to be sure to allow for plenty of time for requesting, voting and returning the absentee ballot as the ballot must be received no later than 8 p.m. on election day, Thursday May 25,” the release says. “College students, military and those who are out of the county temporarily are urged to request as early as possible to ensure that the ballot will have sufficient time to be voted and returned for counting.”

Signed written absentee ballot requests can be sent to the Hill County Clerk and Recorder, 315 4th St., Havre, MT 59501 or faxed to 265-2445.