It’s finally Election Day and the polls in Montana open at 7am. However, a majority of registered voters are staying at home.

As of Monday evening, there were 792,440 registered voters in Montana and more than 54% of those voters have already cast their ballots by mail or voted in person in person. The Montana Secretary of State’s office showed that county elections offices had received 431,636 absentee ballots before Election Day.

“Friends, family and neighbors across the state have made sure their voices will be heard in this historic election,” Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen said in a news release Monday.

During the last presidential election, Montanans cast 612,075 votes, the highest number of votes cast in the state’s history, with a turnout rate of 81.33%, a 30-year high, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Montana will set a new election record if only 50% of registered voters who have not yet cast a ballot show up to the polls today.

The high number of early voters in the state reflects a national trend. The Washington Post reports that more than 81.9 million Americans had already cast ballots as of Monday, alone in 2020, when many states expanded voting options during the pandemic. South Carolina, Delaware and Connecticut reported exceeding their 2020 early voting numbers, while six others reported being in the 90th percentile.

While Montana allows any active voter to register for an absentee ballot to vote by mail, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 98% of voters chose to vote by mail. In 2024, 68% of registered voters requested absentee ballots. Absentee voters can also drop off their ballot in person at a polling place or elections office on Election Day.

Montana allows qualified citizens to register to vote on Election Day as long as they are in line at a polling place before 8 p.m.

Polling places in Montana are required by law to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in most cases, although smaller polling places may be open from noon to 8 p.m.

“Montanians who choose to vote in person can view their polling place hours and location online at VoteMT.gov/voter-info,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “Winter weather is forecast on Election Day, so make a plan, drive safely and join hundreds of thousands of Montanans in electing the leaders of our great state and nation.”