Senator McCamey opened the hearing on Senate Bill 498, a proposal to modernize and narrow an older statutory requirement that election judges separate ballots by party when preparing for a primary count in jurisdictions that still count ballots by hand.

Senator McCamey told the committee that the requirement is "archaic," unnecessary in counties that use electronic tabulators and time‑consuming where manual sorting remains in use. He urged a do‑pass recommendation on the bill as a targeted statutory update.

Connor Fitzpatrick, Lewis and Clark County elections, said the bill "codifies what we already do" and that tabulators distinguish party ballots automatically. Regina Plettenberg, representing the Montana Association of Clerk and Recorders as an informational witness, also supported the bill, calling it an update of an old statute to match current practice and technology.

No opponents or extended legal concerns were raised in committee testimony. The bill drew concise proponent endorsement from county election officials who described the operational time savings in primaries where the machines already separate party ballots.

Ending: Committee did not record a formal vote during the hearing; sponsors asked for a due‑pass recommendation.