Strong Early Return On Absentee Ballots

Absentee balloting can be a good indicator of voter turnout, and more than half of the 63,000 absentee ballots mailed in Yellowstone County already have been tallied and returned.  Bret Rutherford, the county’s election administrator, told county commissioners that as of Tuesday, 33,000 of the ballots, or about 55 percent, had been returned for processing.  That’s about 5,000 ballots ahead of this time in the 2012 general election.

About 1,000 Yellowstone County ballots were undeliverable.  Rutherford is expecting strong voter turnout on Election Day.  There will be traffic control at MetraPark to help with congestion, and a sheriff’s deputy will be on site for security measures.  The election office will be open for ballot drop off, and absentee voters can walk in their ballot to the office or drop them off at the polls on Election Day.  Voters mailing ballots should send them by Thursday, Nov. 3.