Voting chaos as state is forced to shut down electronic polling system after major candidate was left off

The state of Montana took its electronic absentee voting system offline shortly after it went live after potential voters discovered that Kamala Harris was not on the ballot.

While Harris is seen as a big underdog in Montana, Democrats are still hoping to turn out more voters to protect incumbent Senator Jon Tester from Donald Trump-backed Tim Sheehy.

Max Himsl, a voter living in the United Kingdom, wanted to make his choice as soon as the ballots went online at 8am on Friday.

The ballot included both Trump and now-out-of-the-race independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but not the vice president.

Himsl said: “I am angry that my democratic process has been interrupted.”

While Harris is considered a big underdog in Montana, Democrats are still hoping they can get voters to save incumbent Sen. Jon Tester from Donald Trump-backed Tim Sheehy

The Montana Secretary of State claims the errors were only found in their online system.

“Our team and the vendor quickly investigated and discovered that only a few voters may have been affected,” the secretary of state’s office told the Daily Inter Lake.

‘As a precaution, the electronic absence system has been taken offline until the problem is resolved.’

They promised that the system would be back online shortly after it was taken offline.

Affected voters will be allowed to complete their ballots once the procedure is operational again.

“This does not affect other ballots, including those sent by mail,” the secretary of state’s office said.

Himsl, who voted by mail for the first time, worries about what the experience could mean for others.

“This worries me greatly,” Himsl said.

Donald Trump is seen as a heavy favorite to win Montana again

Max Himsl, a voter living in the United Kingdom, was about to make his choice when the ballots went online at 8 a.m. Friday. The ballot included both Trump and the now-outgoing independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but not the vice president.

Citizens living abroad, including members of the armed forces, are legally allowed to vote by mail in elections.

Montana has a well-functioning system where people can vote by mail 45 days before Election Day.

While Democrats are not expected to enter the presidential race, they hope to keep Tester in the Senate.

Cook Political Report rates Tester’s race a “toss up,” and former President Donald Trump won Montana in 2020 by more than 16 points.

Tester has held the seat in Montana, a state that strongly supported Trump during the 2020 election, since 2007.

Republicans see the fight as crucial to their hopes of capturing the Senate.

They expect to pick up a seat in West Virginia, where Democrat Joe Manchin, now an independent, is retiring. They need just one more seat to secure a majority in the Senate.

The result is millions of dollars being invested in the battle between Tester and Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL.

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is in a tough race against GOP challenger Tim Sheehy in a state Trump won by 16 points in 2020

Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, is the Republican candidate. He has the support of Donald Trump

The latest campaign finance report shows that Tester has raised more than $43.7 million, a record amount and three times what he raised at this stage in his race in 2018.

Sheehy has raised $13.7 million since entering the competition a year ago.

The importance of the race will be on full display Friday, when former President Donald Trump holds a rally in support of Sheehy.

In 2020, he won the state by more than 16 points, and in 2016 he won by more than 20 points over Hillary Clinton.