Campaign 2012

County election office processing high return of absentee ballots

Posted: Oct 24, 2012 7:27 AM by Dustin Klemann - Q2 News
Updated: Oct 24, 2012 7:27 AM

BILLINGS - The countdown to the 2012 election is just two weeks away. More than 22,000 Yellowstone County voters have postmarked their decisions.

More 56,000 absentee ballots mailed out and voters have already returned more than 40 percent.

But even with those numbers elections administrator Brett Rutherford said he sees a fair amount of procrastination.

"You can kind of see it in the flow of the mail. Right after we send our absentees out, we get piled on for about four days and then it kind of drops off."

As election day approaches, ballots begin to be mailed at a high volume.

It's important to note, if you do have an absentee ballot sitting on your kitchen table, get it filled out.

If you do head to the polls on election day - and ask for a new ballot - you face headaches and long wait times to receive a provisional ballot.

Given the tight races, don't expect final results until the early hours of the morning.

"It 2006, we only had one ballot for each person but now we have two, so we have to double our count." Rutherford continued, "The final results are not going to be out by the 10 o'clock news. It'll probably be well into the evening and probably into the early morning the next day."

Election officials expect the return rate of absentee ballots to be in the 90th percentile. That would mean an increase of 20,000 from 2008.

If you haven't registered to vote, you still have time.

As long as you've been in Montana for 30 days, a citizen, and 18-years-old you can still register at the county courthouse.