Montana state executive official elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9[2]
- Early voting: Oct. 9 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: Polling places open between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.
2020 →
← 2016
|
| Montana state executive official elections |
|---|
 |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 12, 2018 |
| Primary: June 5, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Montana |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas and triplexes |
| Other state executive elections |
The following state executive office was up for election in Montana in 2018. Click on the following link to learn more about the race:
Candidates and election results
Public service commissioner
General election
General election for Montana Public Service Commission District 5
Incumbent Brad Johnson defeated Andy Shirtliff in the general election for Montana Public Service Commission District 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brad Johnson (R) | 57.8 | 60,434 | |
| Andy Shirtliff (D) | 42.2 | 44,103 | ||
| Total votes: 104,537 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Montana Public Service Commission District 5
Andy Shirtliff defeated Tyrel Suzor-Hoy and Henry Clay Speich in the Democratic primary for Montana Public Service Commission District 5 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Andy Shirtliff | 64.3 | 12,783 | |
| Tyrel Suzor-Hoy | 22.0 | 4,382 | ||
 | Henry Clay Speich | 13.7 | 2,729 | |
| Total votes: 19,894 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Montana Public Service Commission District 5
Incumbent Brad Johnson advanced from the Republican primary for Montana Public Service Commission District 5 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brad Johnson | 100.0 | 29,589 | |
| Total votes: 29,589 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Context of the 2018 elections
Party control in Montana
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Montana held a state government trifecta for 10 years between 1992 and 2017.
Montana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Montana utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Montana, polling place hours vary throughout the state. Most polling places open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m., although in areas with fewer than 400 registered voters, polling places may open as late as 12:00 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[5]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Montana, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Montana for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the election. People serving a felony sentence in a penal institution and those who have been declared by a court to be of unsound mind are not eligible to vote.[6]
Citizens can register to vote in person by completing a registration application at their county election office. They can register by mailing the application to their county election administrator or submitting it when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state ID. Citizens may also register to vote at their county election offices, certain designated locations, or at their designated polling location on Election Day.[6]
Automatic registration
Montana does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Montana does not permit online voter registration.
Same-day registration
Montana allows same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
In order to register to vote in Montana, applicants must have lived in the state for at least 30 days prior to the election.
Verification of citizenship
Montana does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[7] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The site My Voter Page, run by the Montana secretary of state’s office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Early voting
Montana permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Montana. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[8]
To vote absentee, an absentee ballot application must be received by county election officials by noon the day prior to the election. A returned absentee ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day in order to be counted.[8]
Impact of term limits
Two state executive seats in Montana were up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, one official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Public Service Com. - District 1: Travis Kavulla
Of the 283 state executives offices on the ballot in 2018, 131 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits. Of the 36 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2018, 13 governors—two Democrats and 11 Republicans—were term-limited and therefore unable to run for re-election. Of the 31 states with term limits that held state executives elections in 2018, some incumbents in 18 of the states were term-limited.
A total of 49 state executive officials were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 17 percent of the 283 total seats up for election in 2018.[9] Republicans had more than six times as many state executive officials term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of seven Democrats were term-limited, while 40 Republicans were term-limited. The other two term-limited officials were nonpartisan.
Past elections
2016
The following elections took place in 2016.
- Montana Secretary of State election, 2016
- Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2016
- Montana Public Service Commission election, 2016
- Montana Attorney General election, 2016
- Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, Auditor election, 2016
- Montana Superintendent of Schools election, 2016
2014
The following elections took place in 2014.
2012
The following elections took place in 2012.
- Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
- Montana down ballot state executive elections, 2012
- Montana state executive official elections, 2012
State profile
| Demographic data for Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Montana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,032,073 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 145,546 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 89.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 6.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,169 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Montana
Montana voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Montana, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[10]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Montana had two Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.10 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Montana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Montana
- United States congressional delegations from Montana
- Public policy in Montana
- Endorsers in Montana
- Montana fact checks
- More...
See also
| Montana | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ If one missed the Oct. 9 deadline, he or she could have still voted in the election by registering in person at the county election office. Late registration was available until the close of polls on Election Day.
- ↑ If one missed the Oct. 9 deadline, he or she could have still voted in the election by registering in person at the county election office. Late registration was available until the close of polls on Election Day.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures,"State Primary Election Types," accessed April 19, 2023
- ↑ Christi Jacobsen Montana Secretary of State,"Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 19, 2023
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Elections & Voter Services: 2022 Polling Places", accessed August 18, 2024
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Montana Secretary of State, “How to Register to Vote,” accessed August 18, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Montana Secretary of State, “Frequently Asked Questions,” accessed April 19, 2023
- ↑ Some of the 49 state executive officials in 2018 may have resigned before their term ended. These state executive officials were still counted in the total number of term-limited state executives in 2018.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
| ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||