Primary will be mail-in ballot

Montana’s June 2 primary will be conducted by mail in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Same-day registration and voting will still be allowed while a new law could mean election results will be available earlier than usual, officials said.

Counties asked to be able to hold all-mail ballots to eliminate the need to staff hundreds of polling places and allow people to vote without being exposed to large groups in close quarters. In addition, many election judges are senior citizens, a group that is particularly at risk for a more severe illness, and possibly death, if they contract the coronavirus, elections officials said.

The ballots will be mailed on May 8 to active voters and will include return postage under a directive issued by Gov. Steve Bullock allowing counties to choose to hold all-mail elections.

“The default would be that Montanans can vote without leaving home, while the option to vote in-person remains,” Bullock wrote in the March 25 directive.

Ballots will be available in county election administrators’ offices for in-person voting beginning on May 4.

The U.S. Postal Service recommends returning ballots by mail a week prior to the election, especially for voters in rural areas or for students or others returning ballots from out-of-state. Only Great Falls and Billings have mail-processing centers.