MISSOULA - This year I had the opportunity to participate in the processing of mail-in ballots for Missoula County in the 2016 primary elections. I was one of 42 people selected to remove ballots from the blue, secret envelopes and unfold them so they could be fed to the vote counting machines.
I was impressed with the percentage of ballots returned this year as compared to previous years – per the Missoulian. I am sure people who mail in their ballots really want to have a voice in government, so I was disappointed in how many of the ballots had to be rejected because people could not follow simple directions.
According to ballot instructions prescribed by the Secretary of State’s Office, “in an open primary, the voter is provided all eligible party ballots, BUT MAY SELECT ONLY ONE.” In addition, the Missoula Elections Administration added a supplementary, very detailed set of instructions on the back of the prescribed instructions to help reduce the number of rejected ballots as it is a theme of every primary.
More than a few people put two voted ballots in one blue envelope. When this happens, both ballots are rejected and none of the votes on those ballots make it into the count.
I believe that everyone who wants to vote should have their vote count but that can only happen if the rules are followed. Please take the time to read the rules on your mail-in ballots for the General Election in November and perform the steps one-by-one (including putting only one ballot in a blue envelope) so that your vote can be counted. Frequently in local elections only a few votes make the difference between winners and losers.
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