YELLOWSTONE COUNTY — If you're a Laurel resident, you may be getting a letter in the mail soon asking for you to pay close attention to your mail-in ballot.
That's because there was a mixup at the Yellowstone County Election office with 1,400 ballots. Voters in Laurel's Ward 2 received a Ward 4 ballot, and vice versa.
See how the Yellowstone County Election Office is resolving the mixup below:
"When something like that happens, we definitely notify all of the officials in the process, whether that be with the city or with the county," said Dayna Causby, the office's administrator.
According to Causby, after officials became notified of the incident, staff at the Yellowstone County Elections Office jumped into action, drafting letters for each voter in Ward 2 and Ward 4.
"So, we just want to make sure that... every vote that's cast, that we can accept it," she said Tuesday.
Causby told MTN that county officials learned of the mistake through phone calls from Laurel voters. She said the elections office team then reprinted each of the ballots. Each additional ballot printed for the mistake is an extra cost, although Causby was unable to estimate the total cost of all 1,400 ballots.
Now, voters in both wards will be receiving a new mail-in ballot and a letter explaining the situation. Voters in Ward 2 should have the option for Brent Edgmond for city council, and voters in Ward 4 should have the option for Richard A. Klose Sr. for city council. Both are running unopposed.
"Our goal is to make sure that every vote that gets sent in is able to get voted," said Causby.
The ballots have already been sent out, and voters should find the new ballots in their mailboxes starting Wednesday, according to Causby.
The Yellowstone County Elections Office is already accepting drop-off ballots at its office at 217 N.27th Street in downtown Billings. Starting Wednesday, Oct. 29, the office will open its drive-thru ballot box, where ballots can be dropped off outside of the courthouse.
Causby wanted to emphasize the importance of completing your ballot before dropping it off. Now, all Montana voters must fill out both their birth year and signature on the affidavit envelope before turning it in. Causby said several voters have already turned in voided ballots because of this issue.
RELATED|New Montana law requires birth year to be listed on absentee ballot
"If we don't have the birth year on there, we have to reject the ballot," said Causby. "We have several ballots and voters that we are contacting, either via mail or phone, or email if we have their email address, to try to get those ballots resolved."
If you're a Laurel voter and unsure which ward you reside in, see the City of Laurel's election ward map at this link.
