Montana’s Secretary of State, Republican Christi Jacobsen, was strongly criticized for the error, which could have had serious consequences for the integrity of the electoral process.
An error
An error in the on-line absentee voting system for overseas voters and military personnel in Montana caused concern, but the election authorities took swift action to remedy the situation.
Online ballots
According to reports, online ballots for Montana voters abroad did not initially include Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris among the candidates.
A voter
It was in fact thanks to a voter who received the ballot online and noticed Kamala Harris’s absence that the electoral authorities were alerted shortly after the launch.
Strongly criticized
Montana’s Secretary of State, Republican Christi Jacobsen, was strongly criticized for the error, which could have had serious consequences for the integrity of the electoral process.
Some questions
This also raises questions about Jacobsen’s oversight of the election process, a Republican elected official, as Republicans, led by Trump, work to cast doubt on the reliability and validity of elections.
Offline
Jacobsen spokeswoman Richie Melby said the system was taken offline to give the supplier time to resolve the problem. The system was up and running again quickly, and the error only affected the online platform, according to Melby.
Negligence?
Melby also assured that Kamala Harris’ name would appear on the printed general election ballots. Jacobsen’s rival for the next election, Jesse Mullen, has publicly denounced Jacobsen’s negligence, calling it an egregious error.
A full explanation
He demanded a full explanation of how this error occurred and what steps will be taken to prevent it from happening again in the next election, while expressing his distrust of the Secretary of State.
Election integrity
The incident has also sparked discussion about the transparency and confidence of many Republican elected officials in the integrity of elections.