The Pondera County elections office has been issuing absentee ballots for the June 3 primary election at a steady rate.
    If you have not received your absentee ballot, please contact the office at 271-4000.  
    With just a few weeks to go to the election, the office has issued more than 400 absentee ballots. In the federal elections of 2006, a total of 362 absentee ballots were issued for the primary election and 885 were issued for the general election.  
    Most of the voters who have chosen to vote by absentee ballot have also requested to be placed on the permanent absentee ballot list.  
    Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot, even if the voter is capable of voting in person on Election Day.  Many voters simply prefer the convenience and ease of voting at home.  You can also vote at the courthouse at the time of your request.  
    A request form may be completed at the clerk and recorder’s office on the main floor of the courthouse, or, you can simply write a request for a ballot.  Address your request to Clerk and Recorder, 20 Fourth Ave. SW, Conrad, 59425, or fax it to (406) 271-4070.   
    Indicate your name, birth date, current residence address, current mailing address and the address to which you want the ballot mailed, if different from your mailing address.  
    You may have someone pick up your ballot for you, but you must indicate that designation when requesting an absentee ballot.      Otherwise, the ballot will be mailed to the voter.  Requests must be in writing and you must sign the request.  
    The signature will be checked against the signature on your voter registration card before the ballot is issued.  
    New legislation in effect this year provides that a person holding a power of attorney for an absent uniformed services elector may request an absentee ballot on behalf of the absent person.  
    A copy of the power of attorney must accompany the request. The ballot cannot be voted by the person holding the power of attorney as the law only applies to requesting a ballot.  
    The request for power of attorney is only allowed for military personnel.
    Absentee ballots can be requested and issued up to noon on June 2, the day before the election and all voted ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. election day.

    Pondera County has had a few voters who have taken advantage of the new late registration law. 
    In 2005 the Montana legislature passed a “late registration” law allowing voters who have resided in the county for at least 30 days to register to vote in their new county even after the official closing of registration.
    Regular registration is closed 30 days prior to an election in order that all counties in the state can get an accurate count of voters registered in the election. 
    The new law allows an additional window of opportunity for some voters to still register in a new county and vote in that county.      The window is open right through Election Day. 
    One additional stipulation for a voter registering under the late registration law is that the voter is required to vote by absentee ballot and must appear at the election administrator’s office to obtain the absentee ballot. 
    In this way, the elections’ office staff can check the statewide voter database to be sure the new registrant has not been issued an absentee ballot in another county.    For the first election, the late registered voter cannot vote at the polling place. 
    Late registration cannot be done through the mail or by fax.
    Late registration is available until noon on June 2, the day before the election at the polls, and then resumes on Election Day. 
    If you have questions about eligibility for late registration, please contact the Clerk and Recorder’s office in the Courthouse or call 271-4000.