House Bill No. introduced by J. Darling, M. Bertoglio, and Z. Wirth aims to revise laws concerning the electronic transmission of ballots for disabled voters. The bill allows disabled electors to return their voted ballots electronically using a secure, encrypted transmission system approved by the Secretary of State, under specific conditions. It mandates the Secretary of State to establish encryption and security standards for such systems. The bill amends Section 13-13-246 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to include provisions for electronic ballot requests, the return of ballots, and the necessary identification requirements for provisionally registered voters.

Key changes in the bill include the replacement of "secrecy page" with "secrecy cover sheet" and the introduction of a provision allowing electronic ballot returns in federal primary and general elections, provided they are received by the election administrator by 8 p.m. on election day. Additionally, the bill appropriates $10,000 from the general fund for the implementation of the encrypted electronic transmission system and establishes that the act will take effect on July 1, 2025, applying to federal elections starting with the November 2026 general election.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 13-13-246
HB0488_1(1): 13-13-246
HB0488_1(2): 13-13-246
HB0488_1(3): 13-13-246
HB0488_1: 13-13-246