There is a lot of discussion about voting irregularities across the country and recently in Montana.
The integrity of Montana elections relies on citizen involvement throughout the voting process. The very essence of having transparent elections is to facilitate public participation and promote accountability in the process.
I appreciate the hard work and professionalism of election officials and dedicated citizens. Montana is the model for the rest of the country, however, there is always room for improvement.
The Office of the Secretary of State will:
• Protect the integrity of elections by enhancing election transparency through video requirements and retention.
• Protect the integrity of elections by improving uniformity when processing ballots.
• Protect the integrity of elections by exploring changes that would provide broader access to election materials outside of a court order.
• Protect the integrity of elections by evaluating and improving county processes and procedures related to envelopes and consider adopting and revising reporting requirements.
• Protect the integrity of elections by reviewing best practices and revising processes for determining the validity of a ballot.
• Protect the integrity of elections by requiring annual voter list maintenance through one of my priority bills, Senate Bill 170, which will improve the accuracy of the voter list. In addition, the Office of the Secretary of State will follow up to ensure counties perform the required maintenance.
I know the importance of free and fair elections, those consisting of integrity and transparency, and while I believe Montana already sets the standard across the country, I will strive to make the best even better.
