How to run
Putting your name on the ballot
Filing for office in Montana is simpler and cheaper than most people think. A seat in the Legislature costs $15 to file for. This page walks through it, from deciding to run to building a Democratic campaign that can win, and what to do after Election Day.
Are you ready to run?
Nobody shows up to a city council or the Legislature knowing everything. The people who do well are the ones who keep learning, do the reading, ask good questions and care about the people they serve. If you've ever organized a fundraiser, run a ranch, managed a classroom, raised kids on a budget or solved a problem nobody else wanted to touch, you already have the core skills.
Before you file, it helps to answer a few honest questions:
- Why this seat? What would you want to get done, and who would it help?
- How much time can you give? A school board is a few evenings a month. A legislative session is four months in Helena every other winter. Our Find Your Fit quiz can help.
- Who's with you? Family, a few friends who'll knock doors, and someone good with a spreadsheet to keep the books.
- Can you take a punch? Someone will criticize you in public. Listen for what's fair, learn from it, and let the rest roll off.
Build your speaking and leadership skills
Most people who run for a local board or the Legislature have never given a stump speech. Speaking in public gets easier with reps, and there are cheap, low-pressure places to get them.
- Practice at public comment. Three minutes at a city council, county commission or school board meeting is real practice in front of real officials, and it puts your name in front of the people you'd serve with. Public comment tips
- Join a Toastmasters club. Members give short prepared and off-the-cuff speeches each meeting and get feedback. Montana has clubs in Helena, Bozeman, Missoula, Great Falls, Billings and more, some with a Zoom option. Find a club near you
- Try a community leadership program. MSU Extension's Big Sky, Big Leadership runs county-level cohorts on communication, conflict and local issues, ending with a community project. Leadership Montana runs a yearly flagship class for Montanans from communities around the state.
- Learn the job before you want it. MSU's Local Government Center courses are built for new officials, and anyone curious can learn from them.
Running as a regular person
Montana's Legislature is a citizen legislature, and local boards are made up of neighbors. You don't need a law degree or a political family to serve on one. What helps most:
- Start small and local. A school board, conservation district or town council seat teaches you the work and builds a track record.
- Talk about what you know. Your job, your town and the problems you've watched your neighbors deal with are your platform.
- Ask for help early. The county election office, the newly elected officials' trainings below and your own friends are all there to answer questions.
Sources: Toastmasters International club finder (Montana club listings checked Nov. 6, 2026); MSU Extension, Big Sky, Big Leadership; Leadership Montana.
When elections happen
| Election | When | What's on it |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Even years, early June (June 6, 2028) | Federal, statewide, legislative, judicial, county offices, precinct committee people |
| General | Even years, early November (Nov. 7, 2028) | The same offices, final round |
| City and town elections | Odd years, November, with a September primary only if needed | Mayors, councils, city judges (nonpartisan) |
| School election | Every May, first Tuesday after the first Monday | School trustees, school levies |
| Special districts | Usually the May school election day | Fire, water and sewer, hospital, cemetery and other district boards |
Sources: MCA 13-1-107, 13-1-104, 20-20-105, 13-1-504.
The filing window is short now
In 2025 the Legislature cut the candidate filing period to about two weeks: it opens 105 days before the primary and closes at 5 p.m. 90 days before it. In 2026 that was Feb. 17 to March 4. For the June 2028 primary, expect roughly late February to early March 2028. Watch the Secretary of State's calendar and don't wait until the last day.
| Office type | Filing window (approximate) | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Federal, statewide, legislative, judicial, county | 105 to 90 days before the June primary | Late Feb. to early March 2028 |
| City and town offices | 105 to 90 days before the September municipal primary date | About early to mid June 2027 |
| School trustee | 145 to 85 days before the May election | About mid December 2026 to early February 2027 |
| Special districts | 105 to 90 days before the election | About late January to early February 2027 |
Exact dates come from the Secretary of State, your county election office or your school district clerk. Sources: MCA 13-10-201, 13-1-403, 20-3-305, 13-1-502.
How to file
Check that you qualify
Every office has its own age, residency and sometimes professional requirements. Each office card on our Every Office page lists them.
Fill out the Declaration for Nomination
This one form, with an oath that you meet the qualifications, is how every primary candidate files. It must be notarized unless you file online.
Turn it in to the right place
Secretary of State: federal, statewide, legislative, district judge and any office voted on in more than one county (you can file online and pay by card). County election administrator: county, city, precinct and one-county district offices. School district clerk: school trustee.
Pay the filing fee, or petition instead
See the fees below. If you can't afford it, you can collect signatures instead.
Within 5 days, register with the Commissioner of Political Practices
File your Statement of Candidate (form C-1, or C-1A for county, city and school races) and name a treasurer. More on that below.
Sources: MCA 13-10-201, SOS candidate information sheet.
Filing fees
| Office | Fee |
|---|---|
| State Legislature | $15 |
| Any office paying $2,500 a year or less | $15 |
| County offices paying more than $2,500 | 0.5% of the annual salary |
| Other offices paying more than $2,500 (statewide, Congress, judges) | 1% of the annual salary (U.S. Senate and House: $1,740) |
| Offices with no salary, and party offices like precinct committee person | No fee |
Can't afford the fee? File a statement saying so, along with a petition signed by voters in the district equal to 5% of the votes the winner got for that office last time. Get it to the county election administrator at least a week before the filing deadline so they can check the signatures.
Sources: MCA 13-10-202, 13-10-203.
Running as an independent, or as a write-in
Independent: gather signatures equal to 4% of the votes the last winner received for that office (in 2026, a state House seat took between 72 and 249). You appear on the November ballot only. You can't have run as a party candidate or held a party office, including precinct committee person, in the year before you turn in the petition.
Write-in: file a declaration of intent and pay the fee by 5 p.m. 90 days before the election (65 days for school races). If you lose a primary, you can't come back as a write-in for the same office in November.
Sources: MCA 13-10-502, 13-10-211, SOS independent and minor party guide.
Money, reporting and the rules
Montana's campaign finance rules are run by the Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP). The basics:
- You're a candidate the moment you file, or the moment you raise or spend money to run, whichever comes first.
- Within 5 days, file a Statement of Candidate in CERS, COPP's online system, and name a treasurer.
- Open a campaign bank account. Campaign money can't go through your personal account.
- Small local races get a break. If a county, city or school campaign raises and spends $500 or less in total, including your own money and the filing fee, you skip the regular finance reports.
- Bigger races report on the 20th of March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November in an election year. See the reporting calendars.
- Corporations and unions can't give to candidates. Anonymous contributions aren't allowed.
- Everything you pay for needs "Paid for by" with your campaign's name and address, plus your party in a partisan race.
- Legislative and statewide candidates also file a business interest disclosure (form D-1) within 5 days of filing. MCA 2-2-106
| Office | Most an individual can give, per election |
|---|---|
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor | $1,190 |
| Other statewide offices and Supreme Court | $830 |
| PSC, Legislature, district judge, county, city, school | $470 |
| Yourself, to your own campaign | No limit (still reported) |
Want to see who's funding a race, or who paid for an ad? See Follow the Money.
Limits in effect since Nov. 7, 2025 and adjusted for inflation each cycle. Source: COPP contribution limits. Running for Congress? Federal rules apply once you raise or spend $5,000: see the FEC's registration guide.
What a campaign costs
A lot less than the headlines suggest. Many school board and town council races are won on a few hundred dollars, a stack of homemade flyers and a lot of conversations at the post office. In 2024, Flathead County legislative candidates had raised anywhere from about $1,000 to $60,000, and most Democratic House candidates there had raised between $2,000 and $13,000 by mid-April.
The biggest costs are usually printed literature, mail, yard signs and online ads. The cheapest and most effective tool is still knocking on doors. Voter lists are available to candidates at cost from your county election office or the Secretary of State, and party candidates usually get a voter database through their party.
Sources: Flathead Beacon, May 2024; voter lists, MCA 13-2-122.
Size your campaign to the seat
A school board race and a U.S. Senate race are different jobs. Everything below works at every level, but how much of it you need depends on the seat. These are lessons from Montana campaigns, sorted by size. Find your tier, then look for the Every race and Bigger races labels in each section.
Tier 1: School board, town council, special districts
Votes: usually a small number. Ask your district clerk or county election office for the last few results.
Team: you, a kitchen cabinet and a handful of friends.
Money: often a few hundred dollars. A local race that raises and spends $500 or less total skips the regular COPP reports.
Lessons that apply: start early, ask for support in person, one local team that meets weekly, and steady posts on the one or two platforms you already use.
Tier 2: County offices and the Legislature
Votes: the 2024 winners of state House seats got roughly 1,800 to 6,200 votes each. Check your own district on the Secretary of State's results site or with your county.
Team: a treasurer, a volunteer coordinator and a small team in each part of the district.
Money: in 2024, Flathead County legislative candidates had raised from about $1,000 to $60,000 by mid-April.
Lessons that apply: all six below. In a contested seat, an experienced volunteer on fundraising and someone who owns social media make a real difference.
Tier 3: Statewide and federal
Votes: hundreds of thousands. The 2020 winner of the U.S. Senate seat that was on the 2026 ballot got about 333,000.
Team: paid staff, including a campaign manager, an experienced fundraiser, a social media lead and organizers from each region, plus local surrogates.
Money: millions. The 2024 U.S. Senate race cost at least $273 million counting outside groups, a Montana record. Federal rules apply once you raise or spend $5,000.
Lessons that apply: all six, and each one is somebody's job.
Vote counts worked out from the 2026 independent-candidate petition requirements, which equal 4% of the last winner's votes (state House: 72 to 249 signatures; U.S. Senate: 13,327), SOS independent candidate guide. Money: COPP candidate information; Flathead Beacon, May 2024; Montana Free Press via Flathead Beacon; FEC.
Building your campaign: before you announce
Filing makes you a candidate. Winning takes a team, a plan and enough money to reach voters. This guide is written mostly for a first-time Democrat running for a local board or a seat in the Legislature, and it follows the same basics the National Democratic Training Committee teaches in its free courses.
Talk to your family first
A campaign borrows evenings, weekends and attention from the people you live with. Tell them what you're planning, how long it lasts and what you'll need from them. Then ask what they need from you, and keep those promises.
Talk to your employer
Ask about time off for evening events, the last weeks before the election and, if you win a legislative seat, four months in Helena. If you work for a public agency, you can't use work time, phones, email or equipment for your campaign. MCA 2-2-121
Set a time budget
Write down the hours you can really give each week, then put them on a calendar: call time, doors, events and at least one night off. A school board race takes far less time than a contested legislative race, which can fill most of your free time in the last two months.
Build a kitchen cabinet
Pick three to six people who'll tell you the truth: someone who knows the district, someone good with money, someone who has worked on a campaign and someone who keeps you laughing. Meet every week or two and ask them what you're getting wrong.
Write down why you're running
One short paragraph: why you, why this seat, why now. You'll say it at every door and every coffee, so make it sound like you.
Set up the money side before the first dollar
Pick a treasurer, open a campaign bank account and get an online donation page. Details are in How to raise money.
Build your volunteer base
Your first volunteers are people who already know you. Ask them for something specific and make it easy to say yes.
Start with your own contacts
Go through your phone, your holiday card list, your church, union hall, PTA, coworkers, neighbors and the county Democratic Party. Write down everyone you could call by first name. That list is your first donor list too.
Hold house parties
A friend invites a dozen neighbors. You talk for ten minutes about why you're running, take questions, and ask for three things: a donation, a volunteer shift, and the names of two more people to invite next time. A supporter lending their home for the event isn't a campaign contribution under Montana law. MCA 13-1-101(12)
Ask directly
"Will you knock doors with me Saturday from 10 to noon?" gets a yes far more often than "Let me know if you ever want to help."
Give people real jobs
Volunteer coordinator, neighborhood door captain, data entry, sign crew, house party host, letter-to-the-editor writer, driver. A title and a regular shift keep people coming back.
Build local teams with a weekly rhythm
Every race: aim for five or six committed people in each town or neighborhood you need to win. Meet once a week with that week's plan and tasks. Early on, lay out a week-by-week calendar for the whole campaign with a named owner for each job and dated commitments, like "I'll write 50 postcards by Sept. 20." In a small race, that one team is the campaign. In bigger races, each area gets its own.
Keep one simple list
A shared spreadsheet is enough: name, phone, email, what they've done and what they said they'd do next. Update it after every shift and event.
Thank people every time
A text the same day, a handwritten note, their name in your social posts and a party at the end. People who feel appreciated come back for the next campaign.
Support systems and taking care of yourself
Our homepage lists a thick skin as one of the traits that helps people serve. It's much easier to have one with people behind you.
Find a campaign buddy
Pair up with another first-time Democratic candidate in a nearby district. Check in each week, trade what's working, practice answers and knock doors together. Someone in the same spot understands in a way family can't.
Set boundaries early
Protect one night a week and your sleep. Decide which events you'll skip before the invitations come. Set hours for your phone and let your kitchen cabinet handle what can wait.
Handle criticism
Ask whether it's fair. If it is, fix it. If it's a false claim, answer once, calmly, with the facts, and move on. Don't argue in comment sections. Have a trusted friend read the hard messages first.
If you feel unsafe
Save threatening messages, report them to the platform and call local law enforcement. Tell your county party too. Knock doors in pairs and tell someone your route.
How to raise money
Asking for money is the part most first-time candidates dread. It helps to remember what you're doing: asking people who share your values to invest in getting a Democrat elected in their community.
Make call time a habit
- Block the same hours every week for fundraising calls, and treat them like a shift at work.
- Make a call sheet for each person: name, phone, how you know them, what they've given before, and what you'll ask for.
- Ask for a specific amount. "Would you give $100 to help print our door literature?" Then stop talking and let them answer.
- Follow up the same day with your donation link or a mailing address, and track every pledge until the money arrives.
Bigger races: put someone experienced on fundraising
In a contested legislative race and up, have someone who has raised money before run the fundraising plan, the call sheets and the follow-up, whether that's a seasoned volunteer or paid staff. Money pays for the ads, organizers and content that win a bigger race, so it can't be an afterthought.
Small-dollar giving online
ActBlue is the online fundraising platform Democrats use, and it's built for down-ballot and first-time candidates as well as big races. Put your donation link on your website, social posts, emails and every piece of literature. Small, repeat gifts from lots of neighbors add up and show broad support.
Montana's rules
Treasurer and bank account
Name a treasurer and report them to the Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) within 5 days of becoming a candidate (MCA 13-37-201). Every contribution goes into one campaign bank account and every expense comes out of it (MCA 13-37-205). If you face a primary, keep primary and general money in separate accounts, unless you're running for the Legislature.
Contribution limits
An individual or PAC can give a legislative, PSC, district judge, county, city or school candidate up to $470 per election. A contested primary and the general count separately. All party committees together can give up to $3,550 to a state Senate candidate and $2,350 to a state House or local candidate. Your own money has no limit. Full limits table
Reporting with COPP
File your Statement of Candidate in CERS within 5 days, then file reports on the COPP calendar. Record every contributor's name, address, occupation and employer. No anonymous gifts, and no money from corporations or unions. A local race that raises and spends $500 or less total skips the regular reports.
In-kind contributions
Donated goods and services count as contributions: printing, ad space, catered food, or someone paying a staffer for you. Report their value like cash, and they count toward the donor's limit. Volunteer time, meals and lodging someone provides in their own home, and the use of a supporter's home for an event don't count. MCA 13-1-101(12)
Sources: COPP contribution limits; COPP candidate information; MCA 13-37-201, 13-37-205, 13-1-101; ActBlue.
Write a simple campaign plan
A good first plan fits on two pages. It answers three questions: how many votes you need, when you'll do what, and what it costs.
Find your vote goal
Look up how many people voted for your office in the last two or three similar elections (same office, same kind of year). The Secretary of State's results site has state House and Senate races, and your county election office has local results. Average them to estimate turnout. In a two-way race you need half of that plus one vote, and most campaigns aim a few points higher for a cushion.
Example: if about 6,000 people vote in your district, half plus one is 3,001. Aiming for 53% gives you a goal of 3,180 votes.
Work out where the votes come from
Start with Democrats who vote in some elections but not all, who mostly need a reminder. Then add persuadable voters who need to hear from you. Your voter file tells you who's who.
Plan around ballot mail, not Election Day
Every race: most Montanans vote by mail. About two-thirds of registered voters were on the absentee list in 2024, and a week before Election Day, 59% of the absentee ballots issued were already back. Counties mail ballots 25 days before a primary or general election and 20 days before a school or special district election, and in-person absentee voting opens 30 days out. Time your postcards, door hangers and literature drops to land before ballots arrive, then keep working to get them returned.
Start everything earlier
Every race: have your story, photos and talking points ready the day you file. Pitch interviews, letters to the editor and op-eds right after you file or win the primary, not in the last two months. Order signs early and offer them to supporters as soon as they arrive. Bigger races: build name recognition early with social media and radio, which cost less than TV and work before you can afford it.
Build a calendar backward from ballot day
Mark the fixed dates first: the filing deadline, COPP report dates and the day ballots go out. Then work back: ballot chase from mail day through Election Day, door knocking before that, and fundraising and volunteer recruiting from the start.
Set a budget
Most local and legislative budgets fall into a few buckets. Spend most of it on reaching voters directly.
| Budget category | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Voter contact | Door literature, postcards, mail and postage, phone and text tools |
| Visibility | Yard signs, newspaper and radio ads, online ads |
| Data and tools | Voter lists, a simple website, online donation fees |
| Events and fundraising | Room rental, supplies, printed invitations |
| Administration | Filing fee, bank fees, a P.O. box for your "Paid for by" address |
Ballot timing: MCA 13-13-205; 2024 absentee figures: Daily Montanan, Oct. 29, 2024. Vote goal method: NGP VAN, How to Determine Your Vote Goal; NDTC's free Calculating Your Vote Goal training. The 6,000-voter example is for illustration. For real costs in Montana races, see What a campaign costs.
Talk to voters
Knock doors
It's the cheapest way to win votes and the one that works best. Keep it short: your name, why you're running, one question about what matters to them, and a piece of literature. Write down how each conversation went. Go in pairs.
Use the voter file
Anyone can buy voter lists at cost from the county or the Secretary of State (MCA 13-2-122). Democratic campaigns usually work from VAN, also called VoteBuilder, which adds vote history and tools for doors and phones. Ask your county party or the Montana Democratic Party how candidates get access.
Literature
One page: your photo, three reasons to vote for you, how to reach you, and "Paid for by" with your campaign's name and address and "Democrat." Leave it at every door.
Postcards and mail
Handwritten postcards from volunteers stand out in a mailbox and give people who can't knock doors a real job. Save paid mail for voters you can't reach in person.
Phone and text
Phone banks and text banks are easy volunteer shifts, and they reach people you'll never catch at the door. Ask your county party which tools Montana Democrats share before you buy your own.
Social media
Every race: pick the platforms you'll actually keep up with and post on a steady schedule: what you did this week, who you met, why you're running. Weeks of silence look like a campaign that stopped. Bigger races: one person owns social media as their job and plans posts ahead.
Local messengers
Bigger races: recruit or hire organizers and surrogates from the area who know its people and its politics. Bring a respected local validator along when you travel, someone who can say "I'm from here, and here's why I'm backing her." Every race: ask a well-known neighbor to knock doors or host with you.
Earned media
Ask supporters to write letters to the editor of your local paper, in their own words. Send short press releases to local papers and radio when you announce and when you hit a milestone. Say yes to every candidate forum.
Work with your county party and allies
Meet your county party early
Introduce yourself to the chair before you announce. Go to meetings, ask who the active volunteers are, and offer to help other Democrats on the ballot. Find your county party
Knock doors together
In a general election, Democrats up and down the ballot can share canvasses, volunteer shifts and a slate card that lists the whole ticket. Ask your county party what's planned in your area.
Know the endorsement rules
The state party's chair, vice chair and paid staff stay neutral in contested statewide and federal primaries unless the Executive Board votes otherwise. County parties set their own rules for local races, so ask yours.
Running for the Legislature?
The Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee works to elect Democrats to the state House and Senate. Get in touch once you've decided.
Ask for support early, in person
Every race: sit down with local leaders, elected officials, unions, educators, and conservation and community groups. Make your case and ask for their endorsement. Ask even the ones you expect to say no: not asking can read as not wanting their support, and a face-to-face meeting is where candidates win people over. Bigger races: give one person the job of setting up those meetings. Many groups use candidate questionnaires, so ask for them early and answer in your own words.
Sources: Montana Democratic Party bylaws (Bylaw 11, revised Sept. 13, 2025); MDLCC. More free help: NDTC courses and Run for Something, which recruits and supports young progressive first-time candidates and publishes a Local Office Guide.
Who to call
Your county election office
They run local elections, take local filings, sell voter lists and answer questions all day long. Be kind to them. They're often a staff of two.
Your county Democratic Party
Local volunteers, advice on which seats are open, and help with voter data. Find your county party or the state party's candidate page.
Free candidate training
The National Democratic Training Committee offers free online courses for every level. Run for Something supports first-time candidates. Arena trains campaign staff. More in groups already doing the work.
Nonpartisan help for new officials
MSU Extension's Local Government Center, the Montana League of Cities and Towns and the Montana Association of Counties train newly elected local officials.
After Election Day
Win or lose, the week after the election matters for your next race and for the party in your county.
Say thank you
Call or write your volunteers, donors, kitchen cabinet and family within a week. If you lost, call your opponent and concede with grace. People remember how you handled it.
Close out the books
Pay every bill, collect the last receipts and keep filing your COPP reports until the campaign has no money and no debts. Then file a closing report. If money is left over, ask COPP what you can do with it before you spend it.
Pick up your signs
Collect yard signs and store the good ones. They're expensive, and they can be reused next time if the design doesn't carry a date.
Keep your list
Your volunteers and donors are the start of your next campaign and the backbone of your county party. Keep the spreadsheet, and share it with your county party if your volunteers say that's OK.
Stay involved
Take a precinct seat, run for county party office at the spring 2027 conventions, or help the next Democrat who runs. If you won, keep reading below.
Once you win
You're now a public servant, and a few rules come with that:
- Meetings are open. Montana's constitution guarantees the public's right to watch. A meeting can be closed only when someone's privacy clearly outweighs that right, or to discuss litigation strategy. MCA 2-3-203
- No public resources for campaigns or private business, and step back from decisions that would substantially affect a business you have a stake in. MCA 2-2-121
- Take the training. MSU's free courses for new officials cover open meetings, budgets and the basics of the job.