Montana

Election Day: Polls open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Election Day. However, for polling places with less than 400 registered voters, polls must open by 12:00 p.m. until earlier of 8:00 p.m. or close immediately once all registered voters in all precincts have closed. Voters who are present in line by 8:00 p.m. must be allowed to vote.

How to Find Your Polling Place: Visit the Montana Secretary of State’s My Voter Page website to find where to vote. 
Required to Vote at Assigned Polling Place: For Election Day voting, the voter must go to their assigned polling place. Polling place information can be found using the Montana Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page” website: https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Montana if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Montana
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Live in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election

If you have lived in Montana for 30 days, you are eligible to vote in Federal Election. You need not have lived within the same precinct (or even the same county) for 30 days prior to the election. You can vote one last time under the old address, or register and vote under the new address (applicable to regular and late registration deadlines and procedures).

You are NOT eligible to vote in Montana if:

• You are in prison or jail for a felony conviction.
• A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

Registration Deadlines:

• Generally, 30 days before any election. 
• Voter registration for the November 5, 2024, general election is October 7, 2024.
• If a voter misses the regular registration deadline, they may register in person at their county election office, or other designated location, no later than noon on the day before the election.
• Alternatively, a voter can register or change their voter registration information on Election Day and vote in that day’s election if the county election administrator is able to verify the elector’s voter registration information before the close of the polls on Election Day.

Ways to Register to Vote: 

• Visit the county election office Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to complete a registration form.
• Voter Registration Application: here
• Absentee Ballot Application can be found here.
• To check your registration status: My Voter Page – Montana Secretary of State (mt.gov).
• Voters who are on the inactive list and want to reactivate registration, can do so here or learn about other options here.
• Completing the voter registration form when applying for a driver’s license. 
• If the voter is a student attending college in another county, he or she can:
  • choose to vote in their county of permanent residence, either in person at the polls or by absentee ballot; or
  • register in the county where they are going to college and vote in that county.

Registration status can be checked at: “My Voter Page” website (https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/).

Who is Eligible to Register to Vote: 

• Be 18 years old or older on or before the next election. 
• Be a U.S. Citizen.
• Have lived in Montana for at least 30 days. 
• Be a resident of the county in which you plan to vote at least 30 days before the election. 

Who is Not Eligible: 

• A convicted felon who is serving a sentence for a felony in a penal institution. 
• A person determined by a court of law to be mentally incompetent. 

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Requesting Absentee Ballot:

• An absentee ballot application can be found here.
• Absentee ballots can only be requested by mailing in the form found online or by submitting a written request for an absentee ballot, which must include the applicant’s name, birth date, and must be signed by the applicant
• For disabled individuals seeking to submit absentee application electronically: here
• Instructions for completing absentee ballot application can be found here.

Returning Completed Absentee Ballot: 

• A list of election offices where voters may drop off completed absentee ballots can be found here.
• Drop off at the county election office in person.
• By mail in a way it will be received by the election office prior to 8:00 p.m on Election Day.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Montana you should provide one of the following:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Your Montana Driver’s License Number
• Montana ID Card
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Tribal ID
• U.S. Passport
• Concealed Carry Permit

If you do not have any of these IDs, you must provide a copy of a valid photo ID together with one of the following with your registration application:

• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Utility Bill
• Government Check
• Bank Statement
• Paycheck that Shows your Current Name and Address

Voting In-Person

If you are registered to vote in Montana, you are required to show ID to vote. Accepted forms of ID include:

• Valid Montana Driver’s License
• Montana ID Card
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid US Passport
• Concealed Carry Permit

If you do not have an ID from the above list, bring a valid photo ID together with at least one of the following additional documents:

• Current Utility Bill
• Paycheck that Shows your Name and Address
• A Government Issued Document that shows your Current Name and Address
• Bank Statement
• Government Check
• Voter notification or confirmation card

If you cannot produce any of these requested ID documents, contact your County Election Office about provisional voting.

Information on acceptable ID for Voter Registration and for Voting is available at Voter Identification – Vote Montana (votemt.gov).

ID Requirements to Register:

Applicants must provide one of the following to register to vote:

• Montana Driver’s License or Montana State ID number; or
• If the applicant does not have a Montana Driver’s License or ID card, the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number.
• If the applicant does not have a Montana Driver’s License, Montana State ID, or Social Security number, the applicant must provide one of the following alternate forms of ID:
  • A current and valid photo identification, including but not limited to a school district or postsecondary education photo identification or a tribal photo identification, with the individual’s name OR
  • at least one of these qualifying items: a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document that shows the individual’s name and current address.
  • If you use an alternate form of ID to apply in person, you need to bring an original version of the ID. If you apply by mail, you need to include a readable copy of the required documents with your mailed application.

ID Requirements to Vote:

The following forms of unexpired photo identification are accepted as ID for voting:

• Valid Montana Driver’s License
• Montana State Identification Card
• Military ID
• Tribal Photo ID
• U.S. Passport
• Montanta Concealed Carry Permit
• School District or Postsecondary Education Photo ID

If the voter does not present photo identification, the voter is required to present a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, official notice of confirmation of voter registration, government check, or other government document that shows their name and current address.

No Voter ID or Improper ID?

• Voters can still vote without an ID by filling out a new registration form and vote if the election official determines that the information provided sufficiently verifies the voter’s identity. 
• If no ID or if the ID is improper, the voter can vote by casting a provisional ballot. 

The Voter Identification – Vote Montana (votemt.gov) website includes instructions and contacts for persons having difficulty obtaining identification.

Voters who have recently moved and have not updated their voter registration

If Moved Within the Same Precinct: 

• The voter should go to the polling place for that precinct. 

If Moved to a Different Precinct but Within the Same County: 

• A voter is entitled to cast a regular vote at the old polling place, an absentee ballot, or a mail ballot in the precinct where the voter is registered. The voter may only do this for the first election after their move. When doing so, the voter must state their new address when offering to vote, and must complete a new registration form to make the necessary correction before being allowed to vote in a polling place election or by absentee or mail ballot.
• Alternatively, if the voter move to the new precinct 30 days or more before an election, the voter may register and vote in their new precinct on Election Day.

If Moved to a Different County: 

• The voter must register in the new county of residence in order to vote. Same Day (Election Day) registration is available in Montana.
• However, a voter who moved to a different county 30 days or less before an election may (i) vote in person or by absentee ballot in the precinct and county where previously registered; or (ii) update the voter’s registration information and vote in the voter’s new county of residence.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

The Military and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) covers the following voters:

• members of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine on active duty;
• spouses and dependents of a member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine on active duty;
• U.S. citizens residing outside the U.S.; and 
• other individuals included in the definition of “absent uniformed services voter” and “overseas voter” under Montana law. 

UOCAVA Voters who are already registered to vote in Montana may apply for a military-overseas ballot by:

• using a regular absentee ballot application for the voter’s jurisdiction;
• using a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA);
• making a written request, which must include the voter’s birth date and signature; or
• making an electronic request that includes the voter’s birth date and affirmation of the voter’s eligibility to vote under the Montana Absent Uniformed and Overseas Voters Act. 
• UOCAVA voters who are not yet registered may use a FPCA to simultaneously register to vote and request a military-overseas ballot. 

FPCAs may be completed and submitted online with the Secretary of State’s Electronic Absentee System (EAS). The EAS is available 45 days before federal elections, through 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. FPCAs can also be returned to the voter’s county election office via email, fax and mail. The FPCA and related information can be found on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website: Montana (fvap.gov)

Voting Eligibility with a Criminal Record: 

A voter is eligible so long as the voter is not currently incarcerated for a felony.

When does someone regain eligibility?

Once released, persons convicted of a felony are again eligible to vote.

Steps to regain voting eligibility: 

• Returning citizens can vote if on probation or parole.
• Once released from the penal institution, a returning citizen should re-register to vote. This is because the law allows a person incarcerated for a felony to be removed from the list of registered voters.