Voting information and deadlines

As Election Day nears, there are many other important dates for voters to be aware of. For those of you who are planning to vote in Montana and have yet to register, there are various options that make it easy to register whether you are an out-of-state student attending MSU or a local. In order to be eligible to vote if you are a non-resident student, you must give up registration from your previous state of residency, have lived in Montana for 30 consecutive days and re-register to vote in Montana.

A registration form can be filled out and mailed, delivered or emailed to the Gallatin County Election Department. The Gallatin County Election Department will also set up a satellite office in the lobby on the west side of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Oct. 27-30 where MSU students can register to vote and obtain their ballot on the spot. The deadline for regular voter registration is Tuesday, Oct. 27. However, if you miss that deadline you can still register late by dropping off your registration form at the Gallatin County Election Department until noon on Monday, Nov. 2, or between 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. For the first time in history, 46 of Montana’s 56 counties, including Gallatin County, have decided to only provide mail-in ballots. These counties will automatically send registered voters a mail-in ballot. Be sure to check your county’s status online. If you are not in one of 46 counties to automatically receive a mail-in ballot, the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Thursday, Oct. 29.

The Office of Student Engagement will have a fully staffed Official Ballot Collection Site in their office located in the SUB, making it easy for students to turn in mail-in ballots once they have completed them. The SUB ballot collection site is available 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday leading up to Election Day. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, it will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are 13 additional ballot drop-off locations across the county. Locations can be found at https://gallatincomt.virtualtownhall.net/home/news/locations-ballot-drop-general-election-gallatin-county.

Statewide, ballots must be dropped off by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. If returning via mail, your ballot must be postmarked by Election Day. Ballots’ status can be tracked at https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/.

With Election Day deadlines fast approaching, make sure to get your voting materials in on time so your vote is counted.