Office of Elections - Voter Information
Please read the following information regarding voting qualifications. If you still feel that you are not finding the right information to answer your questions, please call the Elections Office at 406-258-4751 during normal business hours. Thank you.
Voting Qualifications
U. S. citizens may become voters for national, state, and local elections if they meet the following requirements:
- Citizen of the United States.
- Eighteen years old or older at the time of election.
- Resident of the state, county, and precinct for at least thirty days prior to the election.
- Registered to vote.
***Persons serving a sentence in a penal institution for a felony and persons determined to
be of unsound mind by a court may not vote.
Registration and Elections
A citizen may register any time up to and including the thirtieth day before an election a the Missoula County Election Office:
200 W Broadway
Missoula (406-258-4751) or
Montana Motor Vehicle Division
2100 Stevens Ave, Missoula (406-549-2514)
Failure to vote in two consecutive general elections results in the removal of the elector's name from the voter rolls. He/she must register to vote again. An Absentee Ballot may be applied for at the Election Office or by printing the form from this site, filling it out, and mailing it in with your signature to the Elections Office 75 days prior to an election and ending at noon the day before the election. Primary elections, at which candidates for county, state, and national office are chosen, are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in even numbered years. Montana law provides for an open primary, which means that the party choice of the voter is secret. The voter must vote for candidates of only one party in the primary.
Candidates must file for office 75 days prior to an election, with the exception of school districts which have a 40-day filing deadline. City elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years and the primaries may be held on the 2nd Tuesday in September. Also, special Water District elections are held at this time. School districts hold their elections every year on the first Tuesday in May. Community Councils, Fire Districts, Irrigation Districts, and Hospital Districts hold their elections at the same time as School Districts. If you want to be an Election Judge, call the Missoula County Election Office, 406-258-4751.
Federal Government U.S.
Congressmen State of Montana and State Legislature
