How Montana Ballots Become Election Results

As of Sunday Nov. 3, more than 395,00 Montana voters had submitted their ballots for the 2024 general election, according to the secretary of state. Others spent portions of their Monday casting their votes early at county election offices using a one-time absentee option. Even more will flock to the polls Tuesday to stand at a booth and fill in the bubbles next to their candidates of choice.

How exactly do all those paper ballots transform into the official results flashed on television and computer screens come election night? The answer to that question is what keeps local election workers...