Can Montana Voters Change Their Vote if Already Mailed In?
Here's a question I received a couple of times already concerning mail-in elections here in Montana. What if someone voted early, but later decided that they wanted to change their vote? Could they go into the election office and get a new ballot and change their vote?
We'll get to the answer below, but let's first talk about why that question is coming up.
Apparently, after the last presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, Google tracked the metrics and there was a ton of people google searching to find out if they could change their vote. According to the Daily Wire, several states actually allow people to change their vote after the fact.
So let's say, hypothetically speaking, you were a union guy who worked at the refinery, and you've been told to vote Democrat by the union leadership your whole life. So maybe you already voted, and then you see Joe Biden trashing fracking, refineries, and talking about ending the US oil industry. You'd want to change your vote too, maybe even for the first time in your life.
Is that allowed in Montana? No. Could someone still try and do it? Let's hope not.
The question was posed to Yellowstone County Elections Administrator Bret Rutherford, who replied:
Rutherford: Montana law does not allow one to change their vote once an absentee/mail ballot has been returned to the Election Office. Once it is in our possession it is considered voted.
Now, if someone claimed that the ballot mailed in was not sent in or signed by them, then officials would give them a "provisional ballot."
Rutherford: Provisional ballots, if found valid, are counted at 3:00 the following Monday as per law.