Official prods voters to register

Montanans interested in voting in the June 4 primary election must be registered by Monday, according to Secretary of State Bob Brown.

The primary election will narrow the field of candidates for Congress, Supreme Court, District Court, the state Legislature, and the Public Service Commission. Local races also will be on ballots across the state.

"Registering to vote is easy and it's important," said Secretary of State Bob Brown, who is the state's chief elections officer. "How can we have a government ruled by the consent of the governed if the governed don't bother to give their consent?"

People can register to vote in several ways, Brown noted. Registration forms are available from:

Local election officials, usually the county clerk and recorder's office.

The government pages at the front of the phone book.

Driver's licensing bureaus.

Post offices and libraries.

The Secretary of State's Office, P.O. Box 202801, Helena 59620-2801.

A form is available on the office Web site at sos.state.mt.us.

To be eligible to vote in Montana, a person must be 18 years old or older on or before the election, be a citizen of the United States, and have lived in Montana and in the county in which he or she intends to vote for at least 30 days.

"Your voter registration is permanent as long as you vote at least once every four years in a general election and as long as you don't move to a new address," Brown added. "You need to register again if you've changed your address or your name."