The short version
Montana nominates partisan candidates through the June primary. You get on the ballot by filing a Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy and paying the filing fee. Statewide, district, and legislative candidates can file online.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the Montana Senate and House; county offices; and (nonpartisan) judicial seats.
- How to get on the ballot
- File your candidate filing form (the Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy) and pay the filing fee at the time of filing — online, in person, or by mail/fax for statewide, state-district, and legislative offices (filed with the Secretary of State). Candidates who can't afford the fee may file a petition for nomination instead. You affirm that you meet the office's qualifications.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Montana Secretary of State — Elections & Government Services406-444-9608
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office; the official Montana resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Find your Montana county
Every county runs its own filing office and its own local races. See all 56 Montana counties, each with its election office, fees, deadlines and local facts.
The 2027 ballot in Montana.
These 2027 dates are confirmed against the state's own published calendar or statute. Anything our research could not confirm is left off this page rather than estimated.
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May 4, 2027
Nonpartisan — School.
School district trustee elections, with school levy and bond questions.
Candidate filing: opens Dec 10, 2026, closes Feb 8, 2027.
Source 1 · Source 2
2027 dates can move, and a municipality can change its own election date by ordinance. Which seats are on a given ballot depends on when each was last filled. Confirm anything you are relying on with the county election office before you act on it.
Official Montana candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle. Note: 2026 filing has closed in most states, so these resources govern the standing rules; check the official calendar for your next filing window.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Montana is fully available; see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Montana race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors": voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.