With Days Until Election, Flathead County Officials Report Overwhelming Demand for Early Voting
The county election department has already issued more than 21,000 one-time absentee ballots for residents wishing to cast their vote early
By Denali Sagner
With less than a week until Election Day, Flathead County officials are reporting overwhelming demand for early voting, which has put pressure on the already strained election department.
The Flathead County Elections Department has issued 21,015 one-time absentee ballots as of Wednesday afternoon. One-time absentee ballots are issued to voters who are registered to vote in-person, but come to the elections office early wishing to vote. One-time absentee ballots are distinct from the 53,642 absentee ballots mailed to Flathead County voters last month.
As of Wednesday, 30,253 of the 53,642 absentee ballots mailed in Flathead County had been returned.
Flathead County Interim Election Manager Paula Buff said the rush on early voting has strained the department, which is balancing a plethora of election-related tasks. The department has been forced to reallocate staff to help with early voting, which has pulled resources away from other critical functions. With only one person left to answer the phones, the department is left listening and responding to 80 to 90 voicemails per night, Buff said.
“We’re just basically running on a skeleton crew and doing the best we can,” she said.
Buff called the reallocation of resources towards early voting “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Election administrators believe the demand for early voting comes from candidate speeches and advertisements that urge voters to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.
Election Supervisor Christina Glatz emphasized that every single valid vote will be counted, whether cast via absentee ballot or at the polls on Election Day.
Though election officials across Montana have reported intimidation and harassment from groups alleging voter fraud following the 2020 election, Flathead County officials said they’ve had very few issues with individuals alleging fraud or misconduct this year.
Election administrators said voters should not expect results to come in immediately on Election Night. Polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, and the election department can begin uploading results when the last person in line has cast their ballot. Anyone who is in line at their polling place by 8 p.m. is permitted to vote. This means it may take minutes or hours after 8 p.m. for the last voter to cast their ballot.
Montanans can register to vote up until 8 p.m. on Election Day. On Monday — the day before the election — voter registration will close at 12 p.m. and will not reopen until 7 a.m. on Election Day, when the election office reopens.
Voters can check their voter registration and polling location here, as well as find out what state House and Senate district they live in.
Read more about the candidates running for Legislature in the Flathead and Tobacco vallies here.