The school and special district election will be held Tuesday, May 5. This will be an all-mail election and polling places will not be open. It is possible that not all residents will receive a ballot or be eligible to vote in this election. This will depend on where a voter lives and whether there will be elections in their specific jurisdictions. 

The Elections Office administers school and special district elections annually. School district trustees are elected for a term of three years or the remainder of vacant terms. The board of trustees authorizes additional taxation, the issuance of bonds or any other proposition presented to voters in accordance with the law. Note: some school districts cross county boundaries.

Special district trustees are elected board members who serve residents of a specific tax district, such as fire, public hospital, water, sewer, irrigation or conservation districts listed on a property owner’s tax bill. These districts operate in accordance with state laws.

Other ballot initiatives include various elementary and high school district general fund levies to support instruction and operation of the schools; and the safety and security building reserve fund levy for the purpose of supporting and improving school and student safety through school security systems and technology maintenance and upgrades. These levies will vary on ballots depending on what school and/or special district a voter lives in.

School district trustees are elected for a term of three years or the remainder of vacant terms. The board of trustees authorizes additional taxation, the issuance of bonds or any other proposition presented to voters in accordance with the law. Note that some school districts cross county boundaries. 

Special district trustees are elected board members who serve residents of a specific tax district, such as fire, public hospital, water, sewer, irrigation or conservation districts listed on a property owner’s tax bill. They are only elected to full terms. These districts operate in accordance with state laws. Other ballot initiatives could potentially be on the ballot.

Because this is a local election, military and overseas voters (UOCAVA) will receive a ballot directly from our office rather than through the Secretary of State's website. Email [email protected] or call 406-258-4817 for questions regarding UOCAVA voting procedures. 

It is possible that not all residents will receive a ballot or be eligible to vote in the May 5 election. This will depend on where a voter lives and whether there will be elections in their specific jurisdictions. A list of all school and special districts participating in the election is available at http://missoula.co/currentelection.

Additionally, some Missoula County residents may be eligible voters within other districts like the Florence and Alberton School District and the Arlee Fire District. These ballots would come from Ravalli, Mineral and Lake Counties, respectively, not from the Missoula County Elections Office.  

A line for a write-in candidate will only appear if an office has a filed write-in candidate or a write-in line is required by law. If this is the case, a write-in line will be printed below the last candidate for the office.

If a candidate filed as a write-in candidate, their name will not appear on the ballot. Visit our Current Election page for a list of qualified write-in candidates for the May 5, 2026 School/Special District Election.

Due to a new state law, voters are required to write their birth year on their mail ballot envelope before mailing it or returning it to the Elections Office. The law, effective Oct. 1, 2025, stems from House Bill 719, which the 2025 Legislature passed. 

A ballot will be rejected if it does not include both the voter’s signature and birth year. 

When a ballot is rejected, staff call or email the voter so they can resolve the issue, if the office has their phone number or email address. A letter is also sent to each voter with a rejected ballot. Voters have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, to correct their rejected ballot by visiting the Elections Office.

The office is located at 140 N. Russell St. in Missoula and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The best way to for voters to verify that their ballot has been accepted is to visit myvoterpagemt.com and click on "Track my Ballot."

Questions or feedback regarding this statewide change are best directed the Secretary of State’s Office at [email protected] or 406-444-9608. 

If voters prefer to drop off their ballot in person, the Elections Office offers ballot drop-off inside Building B from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

On Election Day, voters can drop off ballots between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. at one of the eight ballot drop locations throughout the county. A complete list of ballot drop locations is posted on the Current Election page at missoulavotes.gov. 

This is an all-mail election and polling places will not be open. If there is a race or ballot initiative in your precinct or school district, you will receive a ballot in the mail after April 15.

If you receive your ballot in the mail, you can return it by mail or drop it off at the Elections Center before 8 p.m. on May 5. The USPS recommends mailing your ballot no later than seven days before Election Day, which is Tuesday, April 28. If it’s later than April 28, hand-deliver your ballot to the Elections Center or a ballot drop-off location (a list of ballot drop-off locations is available at http://missoula.co/currentelection).

If you do not receive your ballot, please visit the Missoula County Elections Center. You can also retrieve an undeliverable ballot if the postal service was unable to deliver it.

Yes, your ballot will be mailed to the address listed at myvoterpagemt.com. This is in all-mail election, which means all active, registered voters will receive their ballot by mail.

Yes. Regular registration has closed, which means you must register in-person at the Missoula County Elections Office, located at 140 N. Russell St. in Missoula.

Please note for this election, in-person voter registration closes at noon the day before an election and then re-opens on Election Day. This means you cannot register to vote after 12 p.m. on Monday, May 4, but you can register to vote and cast a ballot on Tuesday, May 5, at the Elections Center 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Ballots mailed Wednesday, April 15.

All ballots are due at the Elections Center at 140 N. Russell St. by 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 5.

Remember, postmarked by then does not count – it needs to be at the Elections Center or a ballot drop-off location by 8 p.m.

The USPS recommends mailing your ballot no later than seven days before Election Day, which is Tuesday, April 28. If it is later than April 28, hand deliver your ballot to the Elections Center.

You may also drop off your ballot at drop off locations on Election Day. Please note that there will not be any polling places open during this election.

On Election Day, the following drop-off locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

• Bonner Elementary School, 9045 Hwy. 200 E.
• East Missoula Rural Fire Department, 300 Montana Ave.
• Frenchtown Rural Fire Station, 16875 Marion St.
• Lolo Elementary School, 11395 Hwy. 93 N.
• Potomac-Greenough Community Center, 29827 Potomac Rd.
• Seeley Lake Elementary School, 200 School Lane
• Drive-thru ballot drop-off, Hellgate Elementary School, 2385 Flynn Lane baseball field parking lot
• Drive-thru ballot drop-off, on south Russell Street between Fairgrounds and YMCA
• Elections Center, 140 N. Russell St.

Per MCA 13-19-307(5), unmanned ballot drop-boxes are prohibited during mail-ballot elections.  The outdoor ballot drop-box at the Elections Center will NOT be available during this election. 

Yes, same-day registration will be available. The Elections Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 5. All voters in line by 8 p.m. will be served.

Residents will be able to register to vote, receive and vote a ballot on Election Day.

Voters may also request a replacement ballot or pick up an undeliverable ballot at the Elections Center on May 5.

In-person voter registration is open at the Elections Center now through noon on Monday, May 4. Between noon and 5 p.m. voters can receive a replacement ballot or pick up an undeliverable but cannot make changes to voter registration.

Residents must provide either their Montana driver's license, Montana ID number or the last four digitals of their Social Security number to register to vote. Per Montana State law, presenting a photo ID is not required. If you do not have either number, they will need to provide another form of identification, like a U.S. Passport, Tribal identification card and others. A full list of other acceptable forms of identification can be found online: https://sosmt.gov/voter-id/voter-registration-id-options/

Residents will need to provide a residence address or specific geographic location from which their residence address may be determined. The residence address must be in the county in which they are registering.

Visit myvoterpagemt.com to check your voter registration status.

The Missoula County Elections Office encourages voters to educate themselves on the processes the County follows to conduct accurate, accessible and secure elections and invites members of the public and media to tour these processes leading up to and after Election Day.

The following tours will take place in the Elections Center, located at 140 N. Russell St. in Missoula:

• 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, May 26: Election equipment testing. Elections staff will test the tabulators used to count ballots to ensure they are working properly ahead of Election Day. They will also test the ADA-compliant ExpressVote ballot marking devices to ensure they are operating correctly for drop-off locations on Election Day.
  
  
• 10:45 a.m. Thursday, May 28: Ballot processing. Attendees will observe staff and volunteers following the multi-step process used to verify signatures, process ballots and ensure that each ballot cast is counted.
  
  
• 8:45 a.m. Monday, June 1: Ballot tabulation. Attendees will observe staff conducting the final test of equipment, as well as the counting and retention process for voted ballots.
  
  
• 2:45 p.m. Monday, June 8: Provisional ballot count. Attendees will observe staff counting any accepted provisional ballots for the election.
  
  
• 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 10: Post-election audit. Attendees will observe the process used to confirm that equipment worked correctly during the election. This is an audit of any ballot counting machines used during the election. It is completed by comparing a hand-count of ballots to the results from the equipment.
  
  
• 11 a.m. Tuesday, June, 16: Election canvass. State law requires the Elections Office and three county elected officials to verify the election with a canvass. The canvass ensures the number of ballots voted are the number of ballots counted and that no ballots are missing or counted more than once. Media and public are invited to observe the canvass with the Missoula County commissioners and elections staff.

The primary ballots will mail on Friday, May 8. If absentee (mail) voters do not receive a ballot within a week, they can verify their registration online at MyVoterPageMT.com or contact us.

To view your sample ballots visit MyVoterPageMT.com.

To view all sample ballots for the election click this link. 

Physical copies of the sample ballots are also available at the Missoula County Elections Office at 140 N. Russell St. Building B. 

Yes, but don't wait! Election Day registration opens at 7 a.m. and closes at NOON due to a new law.

Late registration is offered May 6, through 5 p.m. May 30, any changes to voter registration must take place in-person at the Elections Center.

Don’t wait! Due to a new law, Election Day registration opens at 7 a.m. and closes at NOON.

View the status of your registration and ballot at MyVoterPageMT.com

2026 FEDERAL ELECTION POLLING PLACE LOCATIONS

• Bonner School - 9045 Highway 200 E, Bonner 59823
• Clinton Elementary School - 20397 E Mullan Rd, Clinton 59825
• Former Cold Springs School - 2625 Briggs St, Missoula 59803
• East Missoula Community Center - 314 Montana Ave, Missoula 59802
• Frenchtown Fire Station - 16875 Marion, Frenchtown 59834
• Front Step Community Land Trust – 1500 Burns Street, Missoula 59802
• Gray Wolf Peak Casino - 20750 US-93, Missoula 59808
• Hellgate Elementary School - 2385 Flynn Ln, Missoula 59808
• Lifelong Learning Center - 310 S Curtis, Missoula 59801
• Lolo School - 5305 Farm Ln, Lolo 59847
• MCPS Admin Building - 909 South Ave. West, Missoula 59801
• Missoula Library - 455 E Main, Missoula 59802 
• Orchard Homes – 2537 S. Third St. West, Missoula, MT 59804
• Petty Creek Fire Station - 995 Terrace View Dr, Alberton 59820
• Potomac Greenough Community Center - 29827 Potomac Rd, Bonner 59823
• Seeley Lake Elementary School - 200 School Lane, Seeley Lake 59868
• Spring Meadows Fire Station - 9350 Ladyslipper, Missoula 59808
• Swan Valley School - 6423 Highway 83 N, Condon 59826
• Target Range School - 4095 South Ave West, Missoula 59804
• James E. Todd Building - University of Montana - 32 Campus Dr, Missoula 59812

Visit MyVoterPageMT.com to view your voter registration and confirm your polling place location. 

Montana has open primaries, which means you do not declare a party when you register to vote. During the primary election, all party ballots are provided, so voters can cast the ballot of their choice.

This federal primary election has three party ballots, Democratic, Libertarian and Republican. You may vote only ONE ballot. If you vote multiple ballots, they will all be rejected. Please discard your unvoted ballots.

To appear on the ballot, independent candidates must collect signatures through the petition process. If the candidate successfully gathers the required number of signatures, their name will appear on the federal general ballot in November. 

Write-in lines will only appear if there is a filed write-in candidate for that race. Missoula County did not receive write-in candidate filings for this election.

Additionally, party ballots differ because races will only appear on a primary ballot if that office, with a party candidate, has at least one filed candidate. Nonpartisan offices will appear on all party ballots if a candidate has filed in a race applicable to that ballot precinct.

• USPS mail – put it in the mail before May 26, return postage is pre-paid.
• Ballot drop box, open 24/7, outside of the Elections Center Building B north entrance, door 2B, at 140 N. Russell St. (Due to traffic congestion in the parking lot, it is not recommended to use this drop on Election Day. The McCormick Park drive-thru ballot drop box will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as an alternative option.)
• Election Day, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. - all polling places and the following drive-thru ballot drop locations: 
  • South Russell Street between the YMCA and the Fairgrounds
  • McCormick Park - 600 Cregg Lane
  • Hellgate Elementary baseball field parking lot - 2385 Flynn Lane