An update from Rep. Ingraham

According to Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven, and one of those times comes on June 3, 2014.

June 3, 2014 is the time set for an event we call the Primary Election. The Primary Election is the beginning of the process when we get to have our voices heard. By casting ballots, we elect candidates who we want to continue on to the November 4th General Election, candidates who we feel best reflect our values.

For many the casting of ballots has already begun through the absentee ballot process.

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station. An absentee ballot is a ballot that the voter records and casts at a location other than the designated polling station on Election Day. Ballots are normally mailed through the United States Postal Service, though some states provide provisions for emailing ballots, faxing ballots, or delivering them in person to a designated location.

American citizens who are overseas, including active members of the military, are covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Their absentee ballots must be mailed to them no later than April 18th, per Montana Code Annotated 13-13-205.

There has been much debate over the years about voting by mail, whether it be through mail ballot elections or absentee voting, which are different processes. Both State and Federal laws have brought us to where we are today.

In the later part of the 1990’s the federal government enacted the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA made some sweeping changes that were meant to encourage greater voter registration and voter participation. Then, following the 2000 Presidential election and problems that came to light as a result of the Florida election, sweeping changes came once again, through another federal law known as the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). HAVA brought about national uniform standards for voting machines and procedures.

While the State Legislature implemented laws to comply with the federal mandates found in NVRA and HAVA, they also implemented some of their own election ideas, such as no-excuse absentee voting in 1999 and permanent absentee voting and same day registration in 2005. All actions have increased the numbers of electors who vote, especially by absentee ballots.

With all of the sweeping changes over the last 20 plus years, voting by mail, such as absentee ballots, has become popular with our voters for several reasons. They like the of ease of voting, especially for those who are elderly, those with child care needs, those who like the convenience of voting in their own home with time to examine complicated ballot issues and, for many, the absentee ballot accommodates our society which has become quite mobile over the years.

So, if you are registered as a permanent absentee elector, watch your mail for your Primary Election Ballot since it will be mailed to you on May 6th. If your ballot doesn’t arrive, or if you’d like to receive an absentee ballot, please call the Sanders County Election Administrator at 827-6922.

For those of you not receiving absentee ballots, please remember to go to your official polling station on June 3rd to cast your vote. Every vote counts and your vote just might be the one which helps your candidate make it across the finish line on November 4th!

Now it’s your turn to “Keep in Touch” by contacting me regarding your questions, concerns and comments. I can be reached via e-mail at pathd13@blackfoot.net, or call me at 827-4652 or by mail at P.O. Box 1151, Thompson Falls, Montana 59873.