| The date of the primary election is June 3, 2008. The date of the general election is November 4, 2008. The hours during which the polling place will be open are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with the exception of polling places with fewer than 400 electors which may open at noon. |
Montana is a place of independence. Exercise that independence by knowing your rights and responsibilities as an informed voter. Know the candidates, the issues, and these important facts:
Registering to Vote
Register to vote in the November 4 General Election! Contact your county elections office to register to vote, or call 1-888-884-VOTE to get more information.
Voting Instructions:
When you enter your polling place, an election judge will greet you, ask your name, and determine whether you are registered to vote in that precinct.
Bring your ID
 The election worker will also ask you to show identification. (Under federal law, all mail-in registrants and first-time voters must show ID; under state law, all other voters are required to show ID as well.)
This ID can be any current photo ID that shows your name (for example, a driver’s license, school ID, state ID, or tribal ID) or a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, voter confirmation notice, government check or other government document that shows your name and current address.
If you forget your ID, you have many options. You can return to the polls when you have it, or fill out a polling place elector ID form, or vote a provisional ballot, which will be counted if your identity can be verified.
Getting a ballot
After you have shown identification and your eligibility to vote has been verified, you will sign the register and be provided an official, stamped ballot. Follow the written instructions on the ballot for marking the ballot. Always mark the designated voting area for only one issue or candidate, except where the instructions tell you that you can vote for more than one.
If you damage or spoil your ballot, make a mistake on it, or overvote (mark more than the number of votes allowed for an office or issue), do not try to erase the mistake or scratch it out, and do not throw away your ballot – just ask an election judge to replace your ballot.
Filling in your ballot – voting your ballot
You may skip any offices without invalidating your ballot.
If you wish to vote for a write-in candidate, you must write in the name and mark the designated voting area.
If you fill in part or all of your ballot and change your mind or want to correct a mistake, bring your ballot to an election judge and he or she will take it back and give you a new one.
When you have marked all the races or issues that you want to vote in and are ready to cast your ballot, give it to an election judge. Or, if a vote counting machine is provided at your polling place, you can place the ballot in that.
Primary Election:
In a primary election, you can only vote one party's ballot. Depending on the year, you may receive other ballots in addition to party ballots. After marking any of those other ballots, insert all ballots -- the ones you voted and the ones you left blank -- in secrecy sleeves. Leave the ballot stubs out of the sleeve. Hand the voted and unvoted ballots separately to the election judge. Tell the election judge which is voted and which is left blank.
If someone is running for office in one party's primary, and you vote for them as a write in candidate for that office in another party's primary, that vote will only count for the party nomination of the primary you voted in, not for the party nomination of the party the candidate ran in.
The judge will remove the stubs from all the ballots and then put all stubs and blank ballots in a special box. The ballot(s) you filled out will go in the ballot box.
Accessible Voting:
If you wish to vote on a system equipped for people with disabilities, ask an election judge.
Provisional Voting:
You have the option to vote a provisional ballot if your identity or eligibility to vote is questioned.
If you are a provisional voter, an election judge will give you a ballot with a special provisional envelope for you to fill out. You will be notified as to whether your ballot was counted.
General Information on Voting Rights:
If you choose to vote provisionally, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
If you believe your rights have been violated, please contact your county election administrator (PDF) or the Office of the Secretary of State at 1-888-884-8683.
An official ballot, clearly marked "SAMPLE" across its face, must be posted at each voting station and in conspicuous places around the polling place.
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