Montana Voting System Shut Down After Kamala Harris Left Off Ballot

Montana’s election season began with confusion for some absentee voters, who were surprised to find that Vice President Kamala Harris was missing from their ballot.

On September 20, Montana had to shut down its electronic absentee voting system after a voter flagged the issue of Vice President Harris not being listed as a candidate.

Max Himsl, a Montana resident living in the UK, encountered the problem while filling out his online absentee ballot. He reported the issue immediately to the Flathead County Election Department on Friday, September 20.

Despite the issue affecting only a small number of voters, the Republican-controlled Secretary of State’s office, led by Christi Jacobson, took down the Electronic Absentee System to resolve the problem.

According to Newsweek, officials emphasized that the issue was limited to electronic absentee ballots, which are primarily used by members of the military stationed abroad, their dependents, U.S. citizens living overseas, and others who meet the criteria of “absent uniformed services voter” and “overseas voter” under Montana law.

A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office told Newsweek, “On Friday morning, our office received a report of a ballot not displaying properly for a UOCAVA voter [referring to eligible military and overseas citizens]. As mentioned, the system was taken offline in the morning for troubleshooting with the vendor, and it was back online in the afternoon. The affected UOCAVA voter who submitted a ballot has been contacted, and no further action is necessary. Vice President Kamala Harris and all certified candidates are listed on Montana’s ballots.”

State officials assured voters that the issue would not impact Election Day ballots or paper absentee ballots. A full list of candidates for the Montana ballot is available on the "Vote Montana" platform.

The platform shows Kamala Harris listed among the candidates. Other names on the ballot include Donald Trump, Jill Stein, Chase Oliver, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with Joseph R. Biden’s name crossed out at the top.

This issue surfaced as former President Donald Trump gained significant ground over Kamala Harris, particularly among independent voters and Latinos.

According to new polling by NPR/PBS News/Marist, Trump now leads Harris by three points among independents in a multi-candidate race, with 49% to her 46%. This marks a shift from August when Harris led Trump by 11 points, 48% to 37%.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had previously garnered 12% of the vote, dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump between the August and September polls. Meanwhile, Harris’s “honeymoon” following her nomination has started to cool.

Trump has also made inroads among Latino voters. In August, he led Harris by 15 points, 54% to 39%. By now, that lead has narrowed to just four points, with Trump receiving 51% of the Latino vote to Harris’s 47%.

“With Trump and Harris set to face off in Philadelphia, the stakes couldn’t be higher because the race is so close,” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

“The candidates are only separated by single digits on most major issues. Voters who prioritize honesty overwhelmingly favor Harris, while those seeking strong leadership tend to side with Trump. The question is, will this still be true by Wednesday morning?”

The poll also found that nearly 70% of Americans plan to watch the upcoming debate, and 30% of registered voters believe it could influence their decision. However, 69% of respondents think the debate is unlikely to sway them.