News

Actions

RNC apologizes for inaccurate absentee ballot mailer

Posted at 7:11 PM, Oct 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-24 21:11:06-04

Montana election officials are warning voters about inaccuracies in an absentee ballot mailer sent to Montanans last week.

The mailer from the Republican National Committee (RNC) incorrectly stated absentee ballots could be postmarked in Montana and still be counted if received after election day.

In Montana, all ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6.

Election officials caution that any ballot received after that deadline will be considered late and not counted in the election.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the RNC apologized for the error and said steps are being taken to rectify the situation.

“We regret the unintentional error we made in a recent mailing. We are contacting all voters who received the mailing through live phone calls starting today and we are sending new mailers to each voter providing clarification,” RNC Spokesperson Miki Carver stated.

The Office of the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices spoke with the RNC about the mailer and appreciates the steps being taken to correct such errors.

The Lewis and Clark County Elections Office recommends people mail their absentee ballot at least one week before Election Day to ensure it arrives on time.

Elections Supervisor Audrey McCue also wants people to know there are options if you’re worried your ballot will not arrive in time.

“You could go to the elections office to get a replacement ballot if you were worried or you could go to a polling place to get a provisional ballot,” said McCue. “We have a lot of systems in place to make sure only one ballot would be counted for you, so you do have a lot of back up options.”

The Lewis and Clark County Elections Office has already processed about 9,000 absentee ballots of the 27,200 sent out earlier this month.

McCue added her office has received calls about absentee ballot mailing costs and would like to let voters know one  forever stamp (50 cents) is enough to cover the ballot’s postage.

-Reported by John Riley/MTN News