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Montana politics, elections and legislative news

Montana Vote Totals, Absentee Returns Set State Records

Sample Montana ballot.
Montana SOS
Sample Montana ballot.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — More voters cast ballots in this week's election than any other midterm in Montana history, and only two presidential elections have had higher voter numbers.

The secretary of state's unofficial results from Tuesday's election puts total turnout at 497,393 voters. That's the state's third-highest total behind the 516,901 people who voted in 2016 and the 497,599 in 2008. 

The percentage of registered voters who cast ballots was 69.9 percent, which is the highest percentage for a midterm since 1994.

The 711,322 people who registered to vote is the highest in state history.

Another record was set when more than 369,000 people voted absentee — that's 74 percent of all people who cast ballots in the election.

The previous record was 73 percent, set in the 2017 special congressional election.

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