HELENA – For the first time in state history, more than 500,000 Montanans voted in a general election.
Secretary of State Linda McCulloch says voter turnout for Tuesday’s election was 504,409, or just over 73 percent of the 693,253 registered voters. The voter turnout in 2008 was 74.5 percent, when nearly 497,600 people voted.
All counties have reported their vote totals, but election results are unofficial until after the county and state canvasses are complete. Provisional ballot totals will be available later this week.
The latest figures indicate 354,897 absentee ballots were issued and nearly 94 percent were returned.
More than 25,600 people took advantage of late registration options, including over 10,300 who registered and voted on Election Day. Some of the late registrations were due to address changes.