A Reminder
Regular Voter Registration Ends Oct. 6
By Robert Struckman, 9-23-08
If you haven’t registered to vote—and you want to avoid lines on election day—you have until October 6.
That’s the day—30 days before the general election—that marks the end of the regular voter registration period. Afterwards, eligible voters will need to use the late registration process, which involves a trip to the county election office, says an announcement from Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson.
Late registration is different from regular registration. To begin with, eligible Montanans can’t simply fill out and mail a voter registration card but instead must go to the county election office. It won’t work for late registration applicants to go to a polling place,. Montanans who wait for late registration will likely also face longer lines.
In the release, Johnson explained, “Election workers need to prepare precinct registers for voters to sign when they come to the polls, and registering at the last minute holds up that process. And from the voter’s perspective, the longer you wait to register, the longer the line will be.”
For more information, visit Montana’s Secretary of State Web site. The site has a list of the state’s election offices.
[End of article]As a Missoula Couty Election Judge and former late registrant I echo this recommendation. In the 2006 elections my wife and I had to wait for close to 2 hours before she could register and vote.
And on a purely election judge note, find out where your polling place is before you go vote. In the primary election, we ended up turning one voter away because they showed up right at the last minute at the wrong polling place. Don't let it happen to you!
I live in Gallatin County, and an announcement from the Gallatin County Election Administrator in Sunday's paper stated that during this period voters can also register "by requesting an application for registration be mailed to you by calling 406-582-3060." It is important that voters know they have this option in addition to going to the county courthouse in person.
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