MT HB488

Disabled voters may return voted ballots electronically in federal primary and federal general elections using a secure, encrypted transmission system approved by the Secretary of State, with ballots due by 8 p.m. on election day

Secretary of State must adopt rules establishing encryption and security standards for the electronic transmission system to protect ballot accuracy, integrity, and secrecy

Appropriates $10,000 from the general fund to the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2025-2026 for designing, programming, and implementing the encrypted electronic transmission system

Electors returning ballots electronically must place the ballot behind a secrecy cover sheet (instead of in a secrecy envelope) and sign an affirmation

Effective July 1, 2025, with provisions applying to federal elections beginning with the November 2026 federal general election