Montana’s electronic absentee voting system hit a snag just as overseas voters were gearing up to cast their ballots in the upcoming federal election. According to Daily Inter Lake, the issue came to light when Max Himsl, a Montana resident living in the United Kingdom, opened his electronic ballot and noticed something troubling: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was missing from the list of options. Only Republican candidate Donald Trump and Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were listed.
“I’m upset my democratic process was interrupted,” Himsl said, reflecting the frustration felt by many who rely on the system to have their votes counted from abroad.
The error was discovered shortly after the state’s Electronic Absentee System went live on Friday, September 20, allowing eligible overseas voters to cast their ballots up to 45 days before the November 5th general election. The system is intended to serve Montana residents living abroad, including members of the armed forces, by making it easier for them to vote.
The Montana Secretary of State’s Office confirmed that the issue was isolated to the online voting system and did not affect traditional mail-in ballots. “Our team and the vendor quickly investigated and found that only a few voters may have been impacted,” the office stated in an email. As a precaution, the Electronic Absentee System was taken offline for troubleshooting.
The glitch was expected to be resolved by later that same day, and the system would be back up for those impacted to cast their votes. Himsl, voting absentee online for the first time, immediately reported the issue to the Flathead County Election Department. He later received an email confirming that the Secretary of State’s office was aware of the problem and working to correct it.
The Secretary of State’s Office reassured voters that this problem was confined to the online system and did not affect any other ballots, including those mailed out. They are working diligently to ensure the system is functioning properly for all eligible voters.
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