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HELENA, Mont. — Montana election officials have independently verified that vote-counting tabulators meet rigorous state requirements for use in Montana elections.
The Montana Election Team recently conducted the 2025 Voting System Certification event in the State Capitol rotunda, ensuring that the tabulators that count Montana’s paper ballots provide accurate results. The testing and certification included updates to tabulators currently used in Montana counties. According to state law, they must also meet several other requirements, including the strict prohibition of modems and other network connections.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) previously certified and approved the updates at the federal level.
“These voting systems go through rigorous testing by the federal government, but here in Montana, we want to trust and verify ourselves,” said Austin James, Elections Director for Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen. “With Secretary Jacobsen’s commitment to accuracy, we want to do it out in the open, let the public be part of the process, and make sure that only the best is used in Montana because we’re going to have the best elections.”
Election officials from across Montana attended the event to ensure that the paper ballots’ results matched those tallied by the tabulators. Members of the public were invited and encouraged to participate by providing public comment and assisting with portions of the testing and certification.
“We’re so thankful for the folks that traveled all across the state to come to Helena, to the seat of government, because they care about our elections and care to make sure our elections are accurate and have the highest level of integrity,” said James.
“Thank you to our election officials for ensuring that Montana’s elections remain safe, secure, accurate, and transparent,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “We will continue to ensure that every eligible voter in Montana has access to the ballot while maintaining the highest level of integrity throughout each stage of the election.”