If your school or special district ballot is still sitting on the kitchen counter, tonight is the last chance. Ballots across Montana are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, and with the mail no longer a viable option, voters will need to find a drop box or their county election office to make their vote count.

The stakes are real for a number of districts facing tight budgets. Depending on where you live, your ballot may include school operating levies, fire district levies, or races for school board and special district seats — the kind of local positions that directly shape classroom sizes, building maintenance schedules, and response times.

It's a mail-only election, which means there are no polling places to walk into. Lewis and Clark County voters can check the county election office for drop box locations. The 8 p.m. deadline is firm.

Turnout in off-cycle school elections historically runs low, which means a small number of engaged voters can move these races significantly. For districts that have been managing deferred maintenance or leaning on reserve funds, the margin between a levy passing and failing can translate directly into program cuts or staff reductions come fall.