Close to a third of county voters have already turned in ballots
KRISTI NIEMEYER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 hour, 59 minutes AGO
Voter turns in his ballot Oct. 21 at the Lake County Election Office in the Dave Stipe Annex in Polson. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
Kristi Niemeyer learned her newspaper licks at weekly newspapers, beginning at the Mission Valley News in 1981, then at the helm of the Ronan Pioneer and, eventually, as co-editor of the Lake County Leader until 1993. She launched and co-published Lively Times, a statewide arts and entertainment monthly, before returning to the Leader in 2022, and serving as its editor until July 2026. Reach her at [email protected] | October 29, 2026 12:00 AM
A steady stream of voters were returning absentee ballots to the Lake County Courthouse Annex last Wednesday, well before Election Day on Nov. 3.
By Tuesday morning, election administrator reported that 6,449 ballots had been returned of more than 14,250 issued to a mix of newly registered, absentee and early voters.
Lake County has 19,074 active registered voters, and 3,749 who are considered inactive.
Kramer said the turnout seems “pretty normal” for a midterm election. A few voters had to be redirected from the old office in the basement of the courthouse to the new office in the annex.
“Most people know where we are. But there definitely has been a handful that said they were over at the courthouse first,” Kramer said.
She reminds people that with less than a week left before Election Day, mail-in ballots now need to be returned directly to the election office, or to the polls next Tuesday.
People 18 and over may register to vote in person at the election office, which is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and again from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Election Day. To verify voter registration, head to voterportal.mt.gov or call 406-883-7268.
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