Montana Title 13. Elections § 13-13-241. Examination of absentee ballot signature envelopes--deposit of absentee and unvoted ballots--rulemaking

(1)(a) Upon receipt of each absentee ballot signature envelope, an election administrator shall compare the signature of the elector or elector's agent on the absentee ballot request or on the elector's voter registration form with the signature on the signature envelope.

(b) If the elector is legally registered and the signature on the signature envelope matches the signature on the absentee ballot application or on the elector's voter registration form, the election administrator or an election judge shall handle the ballot as a regular ballot.

(7)(a) Except as provided in subsection (8), after receiving an absentee ballot secrecy envelope and if the validity of the ballot is confirmed pursuant to 13-13-245, then no sooner than 3 business days before election day, the election official may open the secrecy envelope and place the ballot in the proper, secured ballot box until tabulation occurs. Automatic tabulation using a vote-counting machine may not begin sooner than 1 day before election day. Tabulation using a manual count may not begin until election day.

(b) An election official may not conduct the process described in subsection (7)(a) on a Saturday or a Sunday.

(c) Ballot preparation as described in this subsection (7) is open to the public. Tabulation is open to the public as provided in 13-15-101.

(d) Access to an electronic system containing early tabulation results is limited to the election administrator and the election administrator's designee. Results may not be released except as provided in 13-35-241.

(a) the allowable distance from the observers to the judges and ballots;

(b) the security in the observation area;

(c) secrecy of votes during the preparation of the ballots; and

(d) security of the secured ballot boxes in storage until tabulation procedures begin.