(1) In addition to and consistent with the procedures specified in the Montana Code Annotated, and due to administrative necessity, the following shall apply to late registration:

(a) Election administrators shall close late registration at noon on the day before election day. Any elector wishing to register after noon on the day before election day may do so by submitting a voter registration application at the county election administrator's office the day before election day or on election day during polling hours, and appearing at the county election office on election day in order to vote.

(2) Except as provided in (3) (a) , an elector who registers or changes the elector's voter information pursuant to this rule may vote in the election only if the elector votes at the county election administrator's office. For the purposes of this rule, voting at the county election administrator's office includes:

(a) immediately after registering under the procedures of this rule, receiving and casting an absentee ballot at the county election administrator's office; and

(b) at any time after registering under the procedures of this rule, receiving in person from the election administrator and returning an absentee ballot directly to the county election administrator's office, either in person or by mail, subject to applicable deadlines.

(3) An elector who changes residence to a different county within Montana 30 days or less before an election may:

(a) vote in person or by absentee ballot in the precinct and county where previously registered; or

(b) update the elector's registration information and vote in the elector's new county of residence, subject to the late registration provisions of 13-2-301 or 13-2-304 , MCA.

(4) If an elector has already been sent an absentee ballot for the election, the elector may change the elector's voter registration information only with respect to the next election, and may not receive another ballot from the county in which the voter is newly registered. This voter registration shall become effective on the day following the day of the election for which the elector has already been sent an absentee ballot.