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Nine steps from neighbor to leader
You don't have to run for anything to make a difference. But every one of these steps makes the next one easier, and each one makes your community stronger.
Know who represents you
Five minutes. Look up your state legislators by address, and write down your county commissioners, mayor and school board members.
Go to one meeting
City council, county commission or school board. Sit in the back, take notes and notice who speaks and who doesn't.
Get on the list
Sign up for agenda emails from your city, county and school district. Ask state agencies to add you to their interested persons list for rules you care about.
Speak up once
Three minutes at public comment, or a short written comment. Say who you are, where you live and what you'd like them to do.
Find your people
Go to your county Democratic Party's next meeting. Bring a friend. Ask what needs doing.
Take a precinct seat
Ask your county party to appoint you to your vacant precinct committee seat, or file for it in the next primary. No fee.
Join a board
Apply for a city or county board, or one of the Governor's state boards. You'll learn how government works from the inside.
Help a candidate
Knock doors, make calls, host a coffee. It's the best campaign school there is.
Run
School board, town council, fire district, the Legislature. When you're ready, the filing form is one page.
Mark your calendar
What's coming up
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Now through Dec. 5, 2026 | Best time to ask a legislator to request a bill draft for the 2027 session. |
| About mid-December 2026 to early February 2027 | Filing window for school board trustee seats (May 2027 school election). File with your district clerk. |
| Early January 2027 | The 70th Legislature convenes in Helena. Hearings start right away, and you can testify from home. |
| About late January to early February 2027 | Filing window for fire, water, hospital and other special district boards (May 2027 election). |
| April 15 to May 31, 2027 | Montana Democratic county conventions elect county party officers and state committee members. |
| July 1 to Oct. 31, 2027 | Montana Democratic State Officers Convention elects the state chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer and Executive Board district seats. |
| May 4, 2027 | School and special district elections. |
| About early to mid June 2027 | Filing window for mayor, city council and city judge. |
| Summer 2027 | County, city and school budget hearings. Every taxpayer gets to ask questions. |
| Nov. 2, 2027 | City and town elections. |
| Late February to early March 2028 | Filing window for the Legislature, county offices, statewide offices, Congress and precinct committee seats. |
Dates marked "about" follow the windows set in state law; confirm exact dates with your county election office, school district clerk or the Secretary of State.
Rebuilding the party precinct by precinct
The Democratic Party in Montana is only as strong as its presence in each county and each precinct. In a lot of places that presence has thinned out, and some counties don't have an active central committee at all. Ordinary people can change that by raising their hands.
- Every precinct has two Democratic committee seats. They're volunteer, they cost nothing to file for, and many are empty. You can be appointed to a vacant one any time.
- Precinct committee people elect the county party's leaders and choose the names the county commission must pick from when a Democratic legislator or county commissioner leaves office mid-term.
- County parties reorganize every odd-numbered year. The next county conventions are April 15 to May 31, 2027. Get involved before then and you'll have a say in who leads.
- No county party? The state party chair, with Executive Board approval, can appoint officers to start one. A handful of committed people is all it takes.
How the Montana Democratic Party is organized
The party is built from the neighborhood up. Precinct committee people make up each county's central committee, county leaders sit on the state central committee, and that committee elects the state party's officers and Executive Board. Every level is open to Democrats willing to show up.
Precinct committee people
Two per precinct, of different gender identities. They live in the precinct, recruit volunteers, talk with neighbors and vote at county party meetings, including on who leads the county party.
County central committee
All the precinct committee people in the county. Its officers are a chair and vice chair, two state committee members (one man and one woman, called state representatives), four alternates, a secretary and a treasurer.
State central committee and Executive Board
Each county's chair, vice chair and two state representatives sit on the state central committee, along with the Executive Board and others. The Executive Board directs the party's policies and programs and meets at least four times a year.
When Democratic party elections happen
| What | When | Who votes |
|---|---|---|
| Precinct committee seats | On the Democratic primary ballot in even years (next: June 6, 2028). Filing is late February to early March 2028 at your county election office, with no fee. Vacant seats can be filled by appointment any time. | Voters in the precinct who take the Democratic primary ballot |
| County chair, vice chair, state representatives, alternates, secretary and treasurer | At the county convention, April 15 to May 31 of odd years (next: 2027). Ask your county party for its date. | The county's precinct committee people and current county officers |
| State Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and elected Executive Board seats | At the State Officers Convention, July 1 to Oct. 31 of odd years (next: 2027). Terms are two years. | State central committee members and Democratic legislators |
How to run for party office
Precinct committee person
Ask your county party to appoint you to a vacant seat in your precinct. Appointees have the same rights as elected members. Or file at your county election office during the 2028 filing window. If you're the only one who files, the county can declare you elected without a ballot race.
County chair, vice chair or another county office
You don't have to be a precinct committee person to run. The chair and vice chair can't share a gender identity, and the same goes for the two state representatives. Before the convention, call the precinct people who'll vote and tell them what you'd do. The county chair must publish the convention call in a county-seat newspaper at least four days ahead and send it to every precinct committee person.
State Vice Chair, Chair, Secretary or Treasurer
The Vice Chair runs meetings when the Chair is absent, helps the Chair lead and helps raise money for the party, and becomes Chair if that seat opens. Announce which office you're running for at least seven days before the convention. Most of your voters are county chairs, vice chairs and state representatives from across Montana, plus Democratic legislators, so reach out to them early. Races with more than two candidates use ranked choice voting.
An Executive Board district seat
Montana's two congressional districts are the party's Executive Board districts. Each elects two district chairs (one man and one woman, each a county chair or vice chair) and four district members (two men and two women). To run for district chair, get elected county chair or vice chair first. District members are elected at the same State Officers Convention.
If a seat opens mid-term
The Executive Board fills a vacant Vice Chair or board seat by vote. County chairs and vice chairs in the region get 14 days' notice, a board member has to nominate you, and you need the same qualifications as the person who left.
Sources: Montana Democratic Party bylaws, revised Sept. 13, 2025 (Bylaws 2, 5, 7, 8 and 9); MCA 13-38-201, 13-38-202, 13-38-203, 13-38-205, 13-10-201. Exact 2027 convention dates aren't set yet.