Montana now has same day registration. Register and vote! Tell your

[John Q. Citizen]

friends.

Also bring a drivers license, Student ID, utility bill, passport, tax bill, phone bill, etc to show when you vote to verify identity.

[truthseeker1]

1. Problems with absentee voting closing down early yesterday in Flathead Co.

The elections office was supposed to be open M-F 8-5, and I was told when I called their office I could come in during that time to pick up an absentee ballot since I'm not registered yet. My husband and I made the trip to town yesterday around 4:00 and they had a sign on their door saying "Absentee Voting is Closed." Their explanation was they closed at noon to "do the books" ???? WTF?? I was pretty pissed off and told them they shouldn't be giving out wrong information on the phone. Their answer was they have lots of people answering the phones. I guess I'm supposed to conclude that means they have lots of idiots answering the phones who shouldn't be because they're giving out the wrong information.

We'll go back today, but what about all the other people who were turned away? Will they take the time to go back? What if they had driven many more miles than us into Kalispell? I'll be placing a call today to the Secretary of State's office. AND calling the elections office again to double verify they're going to still be giving out absentee ballots.

My biggest concern was just how many people won't go back. Plus I was extremely irritated by the major inconvenience.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Also, pleas call the Newspapers and the TV news. This should get out there.

Thanks.

[truthseeker1]

3. SOS office said this is standard per the HAVA act

I finally got through to the SOS office (after being hung up on several times - WHY is election day considered a govt. holiday???)
The guy I spoke with said this is a standard requirement per the HAVA act, that the elections offices ALL close at noon the day before the election to update the voter rolls so they can send them out to the polling places. I can understand that, but the problem lies in the workers not giving out this info over the phone. When he started down the road of....."it's actually a privelege to be able to register to vote this late" I told him that wasn't the point. I wanted reassurance that his office would contact Flathead Co. about hiring people to work the phones who have the correct info and to be sure to give that info out to voters so they don't waste their time and possibly end up not voting at all.