Kamala Harris was not initially on the ballot in Montana

An error that occurred when the absentee voting system for foreign voters and military personnel in Montana went online caused concern, but the election authorities quickly took steps to remedy the situation.

Online overseas ballots for Montana voters briefly didn’t include Kamala Harrishttps://t.co/Y93Z47SeTi pic.twitter.com/9i4SAvYzXh

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 24, 2024

According to reports, online ballots for Montana overseas voters did not initially include Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris among the candidates.

In fact, it was thanks to a voter who received the online ballot and noticed Kamala Harris’s absence that election authorities were alerted shortly after the launch last Friday.

Montana’s Secretary of State, Republican Christi Jacobsen, has been heavily criticized for the error, which could have had serious consequences for the integrity of the electoral process.

It also raises questions about Jacobsen’s oversight of the electoral process, a Republican elected official, at a time when Republicans, led by Trump, are working hard to cast doubt on the reliability and validity of elections.

Jacobsen spokeswoman Richie Melby said the system had been taken offline to give the supplier time to resolve the problem. The system was back online on Friday afternoon and the error only affected the online platform, according to Melby.

Melby also assured that Kamala Harris’ name would appear on printed general election ballots.

Jacobsen’s rival for the next election, Jesse Mullen, publicly denounced Jacobsen’s negligence.

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.

I ask that Secretary Jacobsen provide a public explanation of how this error happened, whether or not processes are being followed to prevent it from happening in future elections, and proof that those processes were followed in prior elections. https://t.co/vQb6IIbm3z

— Jesse James Mullen (@jmullen2) September 23, 2024

The incident has also sparked discussion about the transparency and confidence of many Republican elected officials in the integrity of elections.