More than 400,000 mail-in ballots have already been cast in Montana's election

HELENA – While the Montana election doesn't officially end until Tuesday at 8 p.m., for the majority of voters in the state, their role in it has already been fulfilled.

As of Sunday evening, 395,082 Montanans had returned mail-in ballots. That’s 73% of the ballots mailed – and already 50% of all registered voters in the state.

On Monday evening, Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen said election workers had received more than 425,000 mail-in ballots as of 5 p.m

“I think people are now comfortable with mailing in ballots and submitting them early,” said Jeremy Johnson, associate professor and chair of the political science department at Carroll College.

The proportion of residents who have already voted varies significantly from county to county. The highest rate is in Golden Valley County, where 58% of registered voters had returned their ballots as of Sunday. In Teton County, 57% had already voted, while in Yellowstone, Valley and Fergus counties the figure was 56%.

On the other hand, only 25% of registered voters in Big Horn County had cast mail-in ballots, as did 30% in Roosevelt County and 32% in Richland County.

Statewide voter turnout has already far exceeded the 311,741 eligible voters in the June primary — and it's likely many more ballots will be cast before Tuesday's deadline. In the 2022 general election, the Montana Secretary of State's Office reported nearly 180,000 additional votes last Monday and Tuesday.

In 2020, the last presidential election, there were 612,075 votes in Montana – 81% of registered voters in the state. This election was conducted almost entirely by mail during the COVID pandemic.

“Montana always has high voter turnout, but often we see it more in the 70s of eligible voters,” Johnson said. “I therefore expect a high voter turnout in this election; I’m not sure we’ll reach 2020 levels because it’s not all mail.”

Johnson said Montana has already gone through several election cycles in which voters appear to be more willing to vote by mail. He also noted that Republican leaders have made a point this year of encouraging their supporters to vote early.

Johnson said the high spending and intense campaigning in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race between Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy may not make voters happy, but he doesn't expect it to deter people from participating becomes.

“It depresses people, but it seems to increase voter turnout because a lot of money is being spent on a race,” he said. “Very, very few people will actually not vote because they are over-contacted.”

Polls will open at 7 a.m. across the state, with the exception of some mostly rural polling stations that open as early as 12 p.m.

If you still have not registered to vote or need to update your registration, registration for Election Day is available on Tuesday, usually at the county's main election office. You can contact your local elections administrator to find out where to go.