Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Montana
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Montana, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Montana Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Online registration is not available
No online registration — applications go to the county election administrator
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Close of regular registration, 5 p.m. October 5 per the Secretary of State's calendar (30 days before the election falls on Sunday October 4). A mailed application postmarked by that day is accepted if it arrives within 3 days (MCA 13-2-301(3)). After that, late registration in person at the county election office.
- Register in person by
Tuesday, November 3
Late registration in person at the county election office continues through Election Day; the Secretary of State's page says registration ends at 8 p.m. Late registrants must get their ballot in person.
- Same-day registration
Yes
Register at the county election office (or a location it designates), not at your usual polling place, then vote there. A 2025 law (SB 490) that would have ended registration for federal races at noon on Election Day was blocked by a preliminary injunction on May 8 2026; the case is still pending, so check with your county before Election Day.
- Early voting
Monday, October 5
Computed: ballots must be available for in-person absentee voting 30 days before Election Day (Sunday October 4), so the first business day is Monday October 5. Some counties may differ.
- How early voting works
Vote early by going to your county election office, asking for an absentee ballot, and marking it there. The Saturday-before-Election-Day statewide voting day created by SB 490 is blocked by a court order.
- Request a mail ballot by
Monday, November 2
Before noon on the day before the election (MCA 13-13-211). Voters hit by illness or an emergency after 5 p.m. the Friday before can still request one.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: the ballot must reach the election office or a polling place in your county before 8 p.m. on Election Day (MCA 13-13-201(3)). The state advises mailing it at least a week ahead.
- Election Day polling hours
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
Any registered voter may vote absentee. Voters can ask to be on the permanent absentee list and get a ballot every election (MCA 13-13-212).
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Ballots must arrive before 8 p.m. on Election Day.
ID at the polls
- The rule
ID requested (photo not needed)
Photo ID, or a photo ID showing your name plus a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document with your name and current address. Without acceptable ID you can cast a provisional ballot. A 2021 law that narrowed the list was struck down; the state's own page still lists the categories above.
- What to bring
Bring a Montana driver's license, state ID, tribal photo ID, military ID, U.S. passport, concealed carry permit or a qualifying student ID. Otherwise, bring a photo ID with your name plus a bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document with your current address. If you can't, you can still vote a provisional ballot.
When will we know results in Montana?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
8 p.m. Mountain time — 10 p.m. Eastern
Mountain time.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Thursday, October 29
Computed: no sooner than 3 business days before Election Day, officials may open secrecy envelopes and put verified ballots in a secured ballot box (MCA 13-13-241(8)). Counties with fewer than 8,000 voters or 5,000 absentee voters may start only 1 business day before (November 2). Not on weekends.
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Monday, November 2
Machine tabulation may not begin sooner than 1 day before Election Day; a hand count may not begin until Election Day. Early results may not be released before polls close.
- Counties finish their count by
Tuesday, November 17
Computed: county canvass within 14 days after the election (MCA 13-15-401).
- State certifies results
Monday, November 30
Computed: the Board of State Canvassers meets within 27 days after the election (MCA 13-15-502).
- Automatic recount
None
There is no automatic recount. A losing candidate may petition within 5 days after the canvass if the margin is 0.25% or less of all votes for the office; the recount is then mandatory (MCA 13-16-201).
- Requested recount
margin 0.25% or less; 0.25%–0.5% with bond
0.25% or less: free on petition. Over 0.25% and up to 0.5%: the candidate may petition but must post a bond covering all costs (MCA 13-16-211).
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
MCA 13-15-507: the state board of canvassers "shall declare nominated or elected the individual having the highest number of votes cast for each office" (Montana Code Annotated 2025). Plurality decides the winner, so no runoff is called for.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
MCA 13-1-125: "An election conducted under Title 13 or under Title 20 may not use a ranked-choice voting method to determine the election or nomination of a" candidate (Montana Code Annotated 2025).
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Mont. Const. art. XIV, § 8: a legislatively referred amendment becomes part of the constitution if approved by a majority of the electors voting on it (the legislature needs a two-thirds roll-call vote to refer it).
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Montana Secretary of State.