'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Montana's electronic polling system had to be shut down on Friday after voters discovered that Kamala Harris wasn't on the ballot. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were the only ones listed there. The discovery was first made by a voter identified as Max Himsl. He told local newspaper Daily Inter Lake:
"I'm upset my democratic process was interrupted... This is very concerning to me."
Max Himsel and his wife are currently living abroad in the United Kingdom. It was their first time voting absentee this way.
The error happened in the state’s Electronic Absentee System, which started on September 20. This system allowed US citizens and members of the armed forces living abroad to cast their votes up to 45 days before the Presidential Elections to be held on November 5, 2024. Montana residents can do so online through the state’s Electronic Absentee System.
The Montana Secretary of State’s Office confirmed that the error, which excluded Kamala Harris's name from the ballot, was an isolated event and didn't impact the traditional mail-in ballots that had Kamala Harris alongside other presidential candidates.
“Our team and the vendor quickly investigated and found that only a few voters may have been impacted. As a precaution, the Electronic Absentee System has been taken offline until troubleshooting is completed," Secretary of State's Office told the Daily Inter Lake.
To troubleshoot, the authorities shut down the entire system as soon as the issue was discussed.
Other than absentee voting, USA also has a system of early voting, where candidates get to vote before the main election day. Early voting and absentee voting aim to increase voter participation and reduce the rush at polling booths. It also allows people to register their vote if they are occupied on the polling day for any reason. Montana will start early voting on October 7 and will last till November 4, a day before the main polls.
Kamala Harris would require Jon Tester to win in Montana
Montana has been seen as a "red state." The western state has historically voted for Republican candidates. Joe Tester, who serving as the senator from Montana, can help sway some voters towards Democrats. Tester is the only Democrat who holds statewide or congressional office in Montana.
However, so far Tester maintained distance from the Democratic party. He also skipped the Democratic convention last month when Harris formally became the Democratic nominee.
On Sunday, an NBC News poll was released, which hinted who the voters wanted to see as the President. As of September 23, Kamala Harris had been leading by five percentage points.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will contest in the upcoming Presidential elections, to be held on November 5, 2024.
