July 6, 2010

Happy Independence Day! This past weekend, Montanans gathered to celebrate our nation’s history with fireworks, parades and other festive ceremonies. The Fourth of July serves not only as the anniversary of the United States of America, but also as a time to celebrate government and the rights we share as citizens of this great state and nation. 

Thank you to the 206,629 registered voters who participated in the Primary Election for supporting democracy in America. Remember to register and vote in the General Election on November 2, 2010. Don’t miss this important opportunity to make a difference in your community!

Election Night Reporting System

We launched the new Secretary of State's Election Night Reporting Service after the polls closed for the Primary Election on June 8.

For the first time in Montana, users were able to successfully view election results by both county and precinct levels while also navigating interactive mapping features and printable export lists. You may access the system to view results for the 2010 General Election anytime after 8:00 p.m. on November 2, 2010.

 
Our staff assists county elections offices with entering election results into the system.

Ballot Issues and Petitions

Signature gathering is traditionally abundant at the polling places on Primary Election Day, and this year was no different. Primary Election Day fell just ten days before the June 18 deadline for ballot issue sponsors to submit their signed petitions to counties for certification.

Eleven proposed ballot issues were approved for signature gathering. After July 16 , we will know which ballot issue proposals received enough signatures to qualify for the November General Election ballot. In the meantime, you can access our daily tracker.

Student Mock Election  

Looking for an opportunity to get your students or children involved in government? Then join us for this year’s Student Mock Election on October 28! 

The mock election is intended to familiarize students with the voting process so that they gain the knowledge and confidence needed to comfortably participate in every election, once they become eligible to do so.

Registration opens September 1. If your school or group would like to receive more information, please include your contact information in an email to mockelection@mt.gov.

On September 1, we will begin revocation of authority and dissolution proceedings against those Corporations and Limited Liability Companies that have not filed their 2010 Annual Reports. Montana law states that all businesses must file an Annual Report with the Secretary of State’s Office.

I encourage anyone who has not filed to do so online. It’s fast, easy and secure. If you have questions about filing a 2010 Annual Report, please contact us immediately.

The summit is FREE, so register online today!

Several agencies in Montana are involved in a FEMA project that trains state and local agencies on how to identify, protect and recover essential records in the event of an incident or disaster.

The Intergovernmental Preparedness of Essential Records (IPER) Project was organized by the Council of State Archivists.  It teaches records management, information technology and emergency management professionals the collaboration methods to ensure essential records are available for continuity of business-critical functions.

The Secretary of State's Office is responsible for preserving public documents generated by state and local governments. The Montana IPER team will include staff from our Records and Information Management Division, the Department of Administration, Department of Emergency Services, Montana Historical Society and Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder's Office.

Attention notaries!  Effective July 1, all persons applying for appointment to a new commission must satisfactorily complete a training program that has been certified by our office.  Additionally, those applying for reappointment as a notary following an improper notarization must also complete a training program. The residency requirement for becoming a notary has also been reduced from one year to 30 days.

To access more information regarding the law changes or certified training programs, logon to our website at sos.mt.gov/Notary.

In my last newsletter, I mentioned the Secretary of State’s Centennial Project which was started to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of when businesses and organizations first registered with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Fred Simmons, President of the National Laundry Company in Great Falls, accepts the first SOS Centennial Award.

I’m pleased to announce that the project has been a great success! In less than two months, I’ve presented awards to six of the eighteen centennial businesses.