Handbook·Elections

Running for office in Montana

State page·Verified 2026-07-10

This page covers what's specific to Montana on top of the general guide to filing for local office.

Filing in Montana

To run for the Montana Legislature, you file with the Secretary of State's Election & Voter Services Division, not a county office. If you're affiliated with a qualified political party, or running for a nonpartisan office, the standard path is a Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy filed during the window below. Independent and minor-party candidates take a different path: instead of party nomination, they gather petition signatures, with the threshold set as a percentage of the vote cast for the winning candidate in that same office at the last general election. Montana redrew its legislative districts after the 2020 Census. The current map applies through 2032, so confirm your district before collecting signatures or filing.

Deadlines and numbers

  • 2026 filing window: February 17, 2026 (8:00am) through March 4, 2026 (5:00pm), now closed
  • Independent and minor-party signature threshold: 4 percent of the winning candidate's vote total for that office in the last general election
  • Seats up in 2026: all 100 House seats, 25 of 50 Senate seats
  • Filing fees vary by office. See the Secretary of State's current "Offices, Qualifications, and Fees" document

The dossier didn't confirm the exact dollar filing fee for a House or Senate seat. The Secretary of State's Offices, Qualifications, and Fees PDF lists this per office and should be checked directly, since some offices allow a fee-or-petition alternative. The next state legislative filing window (ahead of the 2028 cycle) also wasn't yet available. Check both at /engage or directly with the Secretary of State's office.

Where to go