Signs directing voters at the Flathead County Election Department pictured on Oct. 29, 2024. (Micah Drew for the Daily Montanan)
It’s finally Election Day and polls in Montana opened at 7 a.m. However, a majority of registered voters will be staying home.
As of Monday night, there were 792,440 registered voters in Montana and more than 54% of those voters have already cast their ballot by mail or voting early in-person. The Montana Secretary of State’s office showed that county election offices had received 431,636 absentee ballots before Election Day.
“Friends, family, and neighbors across the state have ensured their voices will be heard in this historic election,” Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen said in a Monday press release.
During the last presidential election cycle, Montanans cast 612,075 votes, the highest number of votes cast in the state’s history, with a voter turnout rate of 81.33%, a 30-year high according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Montana will set a new general election record if just 50% of registered voters who have not yet cast a ballot show up to the polls today.
The large quantity of early voters in the state mirrors a nation-wide trend. The Washington Post reports that more than 81.9 million Americans had already cast their ballots as of Monday, trailing only 2020 when many states expanded opportunities to cast ballots during the pandemic. South Carolina, Delaware, and Connecticut reported exceeding their 2020 early voting numbers, while six others reported being in the 90th percentile.
While Montana allows any active voter to register for an absentee ballot to vote by mail, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 98% of voters opted to vote by mail. In 2024, 68% of registered voters requested absentee ballots. Absentee voters can also deliver their ballot in person to a polling place or election office on Election Day.
Montana allows qualified citizens to register to vote on Election Day as long as they are in line at a polling location before 8 p.m.
Poll locations in Montana are required by law in most cases to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., though smaller polling locations may be open from noon to 8 p.m.
“Montanans choosing to cast their votes in person can review the hours and location of their polling place online at VoteMT.gov/voter-info,” Secretary Jacobsen said. “Winter weather is forecasted on Election Day, so make a plan, drive safe, and join the hundreds of thousands of Montanans in choosing the leaders of our great state and nation.”