Officials today will mail ballots to 14,058 Helena voters as the city makes its first foray into the world of mailbox elections.

Other mail-ballot elections in the Helena Valley and in Missoula have roughly tripled voter turnouts in those races, though candidates for the City Commission and City Court contests here said many residents still don't understand the process.

Lewis and Clark County Clerk and Recorder Paulette DeHart and Elections Supervisor Marilyn Bracken hope voters will respond to their efforts.

Bracken said a recent mail-ballot trustee election for the East Valley Fire District brought in 662 ballots. The district has seen about 200 voters at polling-place elections in the past, she said.

In Missoula, officials held a mail-ballot city primary last month. The mayor's office wasn't on the ballot, and only three City Council wards were contested. Still, the response was 22 percent, Missoula County Clerk and Recorder Vickie Zeier said.

"In the past, we never had better than 8 percent," she said.

The process to remove inactive voters from the rolls hadn't been completed by the time ballots were mailed, Zeier said. If those voters are removed from the electorate pool, the city's response was 31 percent.

"I would definitely say this is a good way to go," she said. "Every qualified elector gets their ballot. It really doesn't take much time to vote."

Workers finished counting votes by 9 p.m. that night, Zeier added. She expects higher turnout for the general election.

Folks who didn't register before the deadline may visit the Clerk and Recorder's Office through 8 p.m. on Nov. 6 to register and vote. AutoMark machines will be available beginning Monday.

Fill out the ballot with a No. 2 pencil or a pen -- don't use red ink -- and use a 41-cent stamp to return it. Ballots must be received by Nov. 6.

A secure drop box will be available next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 and 27, at the Capital Hill Mall, indoors and near the entrance to JC Penney. Voters must bring the ballots they received in the mail. An AutoMark machine will be available.

Incumbents Bob Throssell and Paul Cartwright and challengers Jack Stults and Matt Elsaesser are vying for two seats on the City Commission. The top two vote-getters win.

City Prosecutor Bob Wood and former Townsend Judge Tori Marion are competing for the City Court bench.

Also on the ballot:

- A $7.85 million parks-improvement bond, which would upgrade the Memorial Park Pool and Kindrick Legion Field while creating a central Helena multipurpose site at Centennial Park.

- Two nonbinding war-related referenda -- one asking Congress to require an immediate and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and another asking federal lawmakers to fund "without conditions" the U.S. military in its fight against the global war on terrorism.

- All 28 seats in the seven districts of the Helena Citizens Council.

How to Vote

- Mark choices with a No. 2 pencil or a pen, but don't use red ink.

- Be sure to sign the yellow envelope before returning. Ballots in unsigned envelopes will be discarded.

- Use a first-class, 41-cent stamp.

- Mailed ballots must be returned to elections officials by Nov. 6.

- A secure drop box will be available next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 and 27, at the Capital Hill Mall, indoors and near the entrance to JC Penney. Voters must bring the ballots they received in the mail. An AutoMark machine will be available.

- Inactive voters must visit the Clerk and Recorder's Office to receive a ballot and vote.

- Unregistered voters may register and vote at the Clerk and Recorder's Office, located on the first floor of the City-County Building, 316 N. Park Ave., through Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.

- Make a mistake? Bring your ballot to the Clerk and Recorder's Office, and officials will issue a new one.

- No traditional polling places will be used.