• Official State Website
• Secretary of State Website
• Absentee Voting Rules Webpage

To vote in Montana, you must:

• Be registered as required by law.
• Be 18 years old or older on or before the next election.
• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Have lived in Montana and in the county in which you intend to vote for at least 30 days.

You cannot vote if:

• You're a convicted felon serving a sentence in a penal institution.
• You've been judged in a court of law to be of unsound mind.

How to register:

• Visit your local election office on weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and complete a registration form.
• Fill out a registration form and mail it to the local election office. Registration forms are readily available from local election offices, a number of civic organizations, and government agencies. There is a registration form available in your phone book, or you may use the registration form provided on this Web site. Mail it or drop it off at your local election office.
• Fill out a registration form when you apply for or renew your driver's license.
• Late registration is available at any time right up through the close of polls on election day, except between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM on the day before the election. However, registering early is beneficial to you and to your community. If you're not registered to vote, register as soon as possible!

You may vote only in the precinct in which your residence is located. If you're a student living at school, you can choose whether to register at home or school, but you can't register or vote in both places.
When you fill out your registration form, do not list a post office box as your residence. If you don't have a street address, describe the location of your residence. Use cross streets, for example, or list the section, township, and range.
Once you've registered, you'll get a voter confirmation notice from your local election office verifying your registration and telling you which precinct you vote in.
Registration is generally permanent unless you do not vote in a federal general election and do not respond to confirmation mailings. If you don't vote in a federal general election and do not respond to mailings, your name will be placed on an inactive voter list. If you fail to vote in two federal general elections after the mailings are sent, your name will be removed from the voter rolls.
You do need to register again if you change your address or your name.

Absentee Ballots

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot, even if he or she is able to vote in person on Election Day.
To vote absentee, you must first apply for an absentee ballot. Applications are available during a period beginning 75 days before Election Day and ending at noon on the day before the election. You may pick up an application at your local election office or at the Secretary of State’s Office, or you may call either office and ask to have an application mailed to you. You can also download a free application from this Web site. Mail it or drop it off at your local election office.
Once you’ve submitted your application, your absentee ballot will be mailed to you, unless you indicate on the application that you would prefer to have someone pick it up for you. Once you’ve marked your ballot, return it to your local election office before the polls close on Election Day in the secrecy envelope that is provided.
The fastest way to vote absentee is to go directly to your local election office, usually in the county courthouse, where you can apply for a ballot and vote all at the same time at least 30 days before the election.
For more information about voting, call your local election office or call the Secretary of State’s toll-free voter hotline: 1-888-884-VOTE (8683).

Deadlines

• Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 6, 2008
• Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election: November 3, 2008
• Applications for an absentee ballot (pdf) must be made during a period beginning August 21, 2008, (pdf) 75 days before the general election, and ending at noon the day before the election. Absent military and overseas electors are not subject to an earliest date to request absentee ballots.

Voting Equipment

Types of Ballots
Beginning in 2004, only two types of ballot were used in Montana. Depending on where you live, you may vote on one of the following:

Paper Ballot.

Using the pencil or pen provided, you'll indicate your choices by marking the box next to the names of the candidates you want to vote for. Paper ballots are counted by hand.

Optical-scan Ballot.

Using the pen or pencil provided, you'll indicate your choices either by coloring in a small oval or by drawing a solid line to connect two ends of an arrow. Optical scan ballots are counted by machine.
For more information on the type of ballot used in your county, see the page on Voting Technologies.