HELENA – For the first time since LR 129 passed in the November 2018 election, the “Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act” will be enforced with the first elections of 2019. Any authorized ballot collector must now register with a county elections administrator and unauthorized ballot collectors could be assessed a $500 fine for each collected ballot.
With the new law, the first registration forms from ballot collectors are being sent to the Commissioner of Political Practice’s (COPP) office for special district elections. All Montana elections will now comply with the requirements of LR 129.
The COPP, in conjunction with county attorneys, is charged to investigate and enforce the Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act (BIPA). County election administrators are required to have all ballot collectors register their contact information, and each voter’s address for every collected ballot.
Under BIPA, Montanans maintain the right to decide how and when to return their ballot but should be aware of the new ballot collection requirements:
Any unauthorized person who picks up and delivers another person’s ballot, or a person who drops off ballots without registering with an election administrator, may be assessed a $500 penalty per ballot.
