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Montana

Upcoming Election Dates & Registration Deadlines

Some elections in this list are local and do not apply for all Montana voters. Please click the “View all” button below to view all election dates in your state.

Next Election: Primary
Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Presidential Primary & State Primary

View details

Registration Deadlines

By Mail (postmarked)
Monday, May 6, 2024
In Person
Tuesday, June 4, 2024

05

Nov
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
General

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Montana Voting Information

Absentee Ballot Process

Absentee voting is available and no excuse is required. The last day to request an absentee ballot is 1 day before the election. You can return your absentee ballot request form through the mail or in person. Voted ballots must be received by Election Day in order to be counted. Contact your local elections office for more information. You can sign up to track your absentee ballot on your Secretary of State website. 

Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person may do so in most counties. Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. For specifics, you can find your local county clerk contact info here.

If you are a registered voter, you may vote by absentee ballot. To vote absentee, you must first apply for an absentee ballot. Applications are available during a period beginning 75 days before Election Day and ending at 12:00 pm on the day before the election.

You may pick up an application at your local election office or at the secretary of state's Office, or you may call either office and ask to have an application mailed to you. Mail the application or drop it off at your local elections office. Once you have submitted your application, your absentee ballot will be mailed to you, unless you indicate on the application that you would prefer to have someone pick it up for you. Once you have marked your ballot, return it to your local election office before the polls close on Election Day in the secrecy envelope provided.

You can track your absentee ballot on your state's website.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Request your Ballot
Campaign Finance Information

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.

Candidate and Ballot Measure Information

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

 

Drop Boxes

You can hand-deliver your ballot to your county election office or drop it off at any polling location in your county on election day. You can find the location of your county election office here

Early Voting

Early voting takes place in the form of in-person absentee voting that allows voter, as soon as absentee ballots are available, to receive, mark and submit an absentee ballot in person at the election office or by mail to the election office.

However, ballots are not counted until election day. Early-in person absentee voting does not require a reason and starts as soon as ballots are available – by not later than 30 days before an election. For more information about times and locations please contact your local election officials.

Election Dates

The next election dates can be found here https://www.vote411.org/montana.

Check your state's resource for more information on local election dates and information.

 

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to vote you must be:

  • Registered
  • At least 18 years old on or before Election Day
  • A U.S. citizen
  • A resident of Montana and of the county in which you intend to vote for at least 30 days (you must provide an address to prove you live in the county)
  • Not convicted of a felony, serving a sentence in a penal institution
  • Not judged in a court of law to be of unsound mind

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In Montana, you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction. If you lost your voting rights because of a conviction, you could register to vote immediately after release. Your voting rights are not restricted by pretrial detention, misdemeanors, probation, or parole.  

Voters without traditional residence: 

It is not mandatory for citizens to possess a "permanent home" for voter registration. A citizen can provide an alternative description of their residence, even if they are experiencing homelessness, as long as it enables the authorities to identify and assign a voting precinct to them. This precinct assignment ensures that the voter receives the appropriate ballot. The mailing address on their registration form can be a PO box, local shelter, advocacy organization, outreach center, or the home of someone who will accept mail for them. 

ID Needed for Voter Registration

When filling out the registration form, you must provide either a driver's license number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you have neither a driver's license or Social Security number, provide (in-person) or enclose (by mail) a copy of another form of ID.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

  • Any photo ID with your name
  • A current utility bill
  • Bank statement
  • Paycheck
  • Government check
  • Other government document that shows your name and current address
ID Needed for Voting

Before you receive your ballot you must present a current photo ID, such as a driver's license or US passport.

Other acceptable forms of ID include one of the following:

·      Montana Voter Registration Card

·      Montana driver's license

·      Montana state ID card

·      Military ID card

  • Tribal ID card
  • United States passport
  • Montana concealed carry permit
  • School district or post secondary education photo ID

OR

  • A current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that includes your name and current address

If you do not have any of these forms of ID, you can still vote by requesting and filling out a Polling Place Elector ID form. Or you can vote a provisional ballot.

Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

Official Results

Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.

Absentee ballots begin being counted the day before Election Day. Provisional ballots are counted 6 days after the election.

Official election results will be uploaded on Montana’s Secretary of State website as they become available. 

 

Official Results
Overseas and Military Voters

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Poll Worker Information

You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!

In order to be a poll worker in Montana, you must:

  • Be registered to vote in Montana
  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be a resident of the precinct
  • Complete required training

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Polling Place Hours

Poll hours of operation vary. Polling places open between 7:00 am and 12:00 pm and close at 8:00 pm. Contact your local elections official for exact times.

Polling Place Locator

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Primary Election Process

Montana is an “open primary” state. You can choose the party’s ballot you wish to vote. This decision does not register you with that party and it is a private decision.

If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

Provisional Voting

You may vote a provisional ballot if you meet specific conditions.

You will be asked to vote a provisional ballot for at least one of the following reasons:

  • Your name is not in the precinct register
  • The precinct register indications that you are provisionally registered, which has not been resolved
  • You have claimed registration with Motor Vehicle Division or other agency, which could not be immediately confirmed
  • You swore that you were eligible to vote due to not receiving or destroying your absentee ballot
  • Your right to vote was challenged at the polls
  • Your ID was insufficient and/or did not include a valid form of ID
  • You failed to sign the register
  • You are a late registrant who voted provisionally
  • You show up to the polls to vote, but the register says you have an active absentee ballot

If necessary, you must provide clear and convincing evidence either on Election Day or by 5pm the day after the election in order to verify your identity and/or eligibility to have your provisional ballot counted. You may provide this information in person, by fax, by email or by mail postmarked by the day after election day.

Provisional Ballots are counted 6 days after the election.

Provisions for Voters with Disabilities

If you have a physical disability or are unable to read or write, you may ask an election judge to help you mark your ballot for you. With the permission of the election judge, a friend or relative can go into the voting booth with you and help you vote.

Every polling place in Montana is required to have at least one specialized voting machine enabling people with disabilities to vote independently.If you would like to designate an agent to assist you with the voting process, contact your local elections office to ask for an application for the designation of an agent.

If you cannot enter your polling place, an election judge will assist you with curbside voting.

You may also apply for an electronic ballot that can be marked on your personal computer, printed and returned by mail or in person to the election office. Please check with your local elections office for more information.

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource or your states resource.

Registration Deadline

Regular registration closes at 5pm, 30 days before Election Day. Your voter registration form must be postmarked or received by the Election Department at least 30 days before the election.

Election Day registration is available. All voters in line by 8 pm on Election Day will be served.

Time Off To Vote

Time off to vote is subject to the employer, there is no requirement for employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

Verify Voter Registration

To verify your voter registration status

click here!
Vote by Mail

Mail ballot elections do not involve the use of polling places since all qualified active and provisionally registered voters are mailed ballots on the same day without having to request them. Any municipal (city or town) election or district election (school, fire, water and sewer, etc.) can be conducted by mail ballot, if agreed to by the governing body.

Other options for returning a mail ballot:

You may still choose to vote in person in the election administrator’s office as soon as ballots are available. Or, you can make a signed written request that the ballot be mailed to an address other than the address that appears on your registration application if you will be away during a mail ballot election. 

You also have the option to drop your ballot off at the county election office or, at other places of deposit noted in your mail ballot materials.

Voting Machines

The voting systems used in Montana are optical scan and paper ballot.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Paper Ballots: Paper ballots are one of the oldest ways of voting in America. They are still used in a few places on Election Day. When you come to the polling place, you will get a paper ballot from the poll worker. You take it to the voting booth, and use a pen or pencil to mark a box next to your candidate and issue choices. You then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box.

You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC) resource.

Personalized voting information

  • See What's On Your Ballot
  • Check Your Voter Registration
  • Find Your Polling Place
  • Discover Upcoming Debates and Forum in Your Area

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Montana Department of State

Secretary of State

PO Box 202801

Helena 59620-2801


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