ballotbymail.org · nonpartisan
Voting by mail in Montana
Yes. Anyone can request a mail ballot. Any registered voter can request a mail (absentee) ballot, no reason needed. There's a deadline, so request early.
Key dates
| Register to vote by | Mon, Oct 5 (same-day registration also available) |
| Mail ballot request received by | Mon, Nov 2, noon |
| Early in-person voting | Mon, Oct 5 – Tue, Nov 3 |
| Mail your ballot by | Tue, Oct 27 (USPS: allow 7 days) |
| Election Day | Tue, Nov 3 |
| ID at the polls | Photo ID required. Without one: Provisional ballot (13-13-114(2), 13-13-601); per the SOS provisional-ballot guidance the voter has until 5 p.m. the day after the election to provide valid ID (in person/fax/electronic, or by mail postmarked the day after and received by 3 p.m. on the 6th day). A 'Polling Place Elector ID Form' (DL number/last 4 SSN) may let a voter be verified at the polls. |
| Return rule | Received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. |
| Fix a flagged ballot by | Tue, Nov 3 |
| Missed the request deadline? | Voters kept from the polls by an illness or health emergency between 5 p.m. Oct. 30 and the close of polls: by Tue, Nov 3, 8 p.m. (voted ballot received). |
| Who can return it for you | Anyone you choose may return it. The law lists mail or delivery to the election office, a polling place in the county, or the absentee election board, without restricting who carries it. (A 2018 limit of six ballots per collector was struck down in court in 2020.) sosmt.gov says nothing about who may return a ballot. |
Steps
- Request your ballot now. Don't wait for the deadline.
- Confirm your registration and mailing address while you're at it.
- When it arrives, fill it out in blue or black ink and sign the envelope.
- Return it by drop box or in person if you can. Mail it at least a week early if not.
- Track it on your state's tracker until it shows received.
Don't get rejected
- Sign the envelope the way you signed your voter registration or driver's license. Your state compares them.
- Use the secrecy sleeve if one is included, then the return envelope. Don't tape anything.
- Keep the phone and email on your registration current. If there's a problem, that's how they reach you to fix it.
https://sosmt.gov/elections/absentee/
https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/
https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/
ballotbymail.org/state/mt
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Rules checked 2026-09-09; deadlines checked 2026-09-09. Sources: NCSL, Vote.org, CEIR, state election offices. The official site wins if anything differs. Free to copy and post.