The state of Montana took its electronic absentee voting system offline shortly after it went live when would-be voters discovered Kamala Harris was not on the ballot.
Although Harris is considered a clear underdog in Montana, Democrats are still hoping voters will turn out to save incumbent Sen. Jon Tester against Donald Trump-backed Tim Sheehy.
Max Himsl, a voter living in the UK, wanted to make his choice once the ballots went online at 8am on Friday.
The ballot included both Trump and now-out-of-the-race independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but not the vice president.
Himsl said: ‘I am upset that my democratic process was interrupted.’
The state of Montana put its electronic absentee voting system online shortly after it went live when would-be voters discovered Kamala Harris was not on the ballot.
Although Harris is considered a big underdog in Montana, Democrats are still hoping voters will turn out to save incumbent Sen. Jon Tester against Donald Trump-backed Tim Sheehy.
The Montana Secretary of State says the errors were only found in its online system.
“Our team and the vendor quickly investigated and found that only a few voters may have been affected,” the Secretary of State’s Office said. Interlake Journal.
‘As a precautionary measure, the Electronic Absence System has been taken offline until troubleshooting is complete.’
They promised that the system would be back online shortly after it was taken offline.
Affected voters will be able to complete their ballots once the system is operational again.
“This does not affect any other ballots, including those that will be mailed,” the Secretary of State’s Office said.
Himsl, who is voting absentee for the first time, is worried about what this experience could mean for others.
“This worries me a lot,” Himsl said.
Donald Trump is considered a big favorite to win again in Montana
Max Himsl, a voter living in the United Kingdom, wanted to make his choice once the ballots were posted online at 8 a.m. Friday. Both Trump and now-outsider-of-the-race independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were listed on the ballot, but not the vice president.
Citizens living abroad, including members of the armed forces, are permitted by law to vote absentee in elections.
In Montana, a working absentee voting system allows voters to vote starting 45 days before Election Day.
While Democrats are not expected to get close in the presidential race, they still hope to keep Tester in the Senate.
Cook Political Report rates Tester’s race a “toss-up,” with former President Donald Trump winning Montana by more than 16 points in 2020.
Tester has held the Montana seat since 2007, in a state that strongly supported Trump during the 2020 election.
Republicans see the battle as crucial to their hopes of taking control of the Senate.
They hope to pick up a seat in West Virginia, where Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin is retiring, and need just one more to secure a majority in the upper chamber.
The result is that millions of dollars are being invested in the battle between Tester and Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL.
Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester is in a tough race against Republican challenger Tim Sheehy in a state Trump won by sixteen points in 2020.
The Republican candidate is Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL. He has the support of Donald Trump.
The latest campaign finance report shows Tester has raised more than $43.7 million, a record amount and three times what he had raised up to this point in his 2018 race.
Sheehy has raised $13.7 million since entering the contest a year ago.
The importance of the race will be on full display Friday when former President Donald Trump holds a rally in support of Sheehy.
He won the state by more than 16 points in 2020 and by more than 20 points over Hillary Clinton in 2016.