Montana for the Many

Students and young Democrats

Your generation can run this state

Plenty of local seats in Montana go uncontested. Young people who organize now will be the ones on the ballot next.

Get your campus club on the map

We're building a list of every Democratic club on a Montana campus, with current officers and links, so students can find each other. If you lead one, or you're part of one, send us your club's details. If your club needs a page, we can build one.

Montana campuses

Clubs show up here as they send us their information.

Four-year colleges and universities

University of MontanaMissoulaAdd your clubMontana State UniversityBozemanAdd your clubMontana State University BillingsBillingsAdd your clubMontana State University-NorthernHavreAdd your clubMontana Technological UniversityButteAdd your clubUniversity of Montana WesternDillonAdd your clubCarroll CollegeHelenaAdd your clubRocky Mountain CollegeBillingsAdd your clubUniversity of ProvidenceGreat FallsAdd your club

Two-year colleges

Flathead Valley Community CollegeKalispellAdd your clubHelena College University of MontanaHelenaAdd your clubGreat Falls College MSUGreat FallsAdd your clubMissoula College UMMissoulaAdd your clubBitterroot College UMHamiltonAdd your clubGallatin College MSUBozemanAdd your clubCity College at MSU BillingsBillingsAdd your clubHighlands College of Montana TechButteAdd your clubDawson Community CollegeGlendiveAdd your clubMiles Community CollegeMiles CityAdd your club

Tribal colleges

Aaniiih Nakoda CollegeHarlemAdd your clubBlackfeet Community CollegeBrowningAdd your clubChief Dull Knife CollegeLame DeerAdd your clubFort Peck Community CollegePoplarAdd your clubLittle Big Horn CollegeCrow AgencyAdd your clubSalish Kootenai CollegePabloAdd your clubStone Child CollegeBox ElderAdd your club

No club on your campus? Start one

Many Montana campuses don't have an active Democratic club right now. That's an opening. A club doesn't need to be big to matter. A dozen students who show up can register voters, staff a candidate's campaign and fill empty precinct seats in their county.

Where to start

  1. Find three to five people

    Friends, classmates, people from a class where politics comes up. You only need enough people to share the work.

  2. Pick a name

    Something simple people will search for, like "Carroll College Democrats" or "Young Democrats of Flathead Valley."

  3. Register with your school

    Ask your student government or student life office what it takes. Most schools ask for a short list of members and officers, and some ask for a faculty or staff adviser. Registered clubs can usually reserve rooms, table on campus and ask for student activity funds.

  4. Find an adviser if you need one

    Ask a professor in political science, history, social work or any class you liked. An adviser signs forms and gives advice; they don't run the club.

  5. Call your county party

    Tell your county's Democratic central committee you're starting a club. They can send speakers, volunteers and events your way. Find your county.

  6. Tell us

    List your new club so other students can find it, and ask for a page if you'd like one.

Your first meeting

  • Keep it short and friendly. Half an hour, a room on campus, snacks if you can swing it.
  • Ask why people came. Some care about climate, some about rent or tuition, some about rights. What they care about tells you what the club should do first.
  • Leave with one plan. Pick a first event and a date, and give every person one job.
  • Get contact info. Pass around a sign-up sheet or a QR code to a simple form, and start a group chat that same day.

Getting people involved

  • Table where students already are. The club fair, the student union at lunch, the first weeks of each semester.
  • Partner with other clubs. Environmental, LGBTQ, labor, Native student and service clubs often care about the same things. Co-host events and share the work.
  • Bring in real people. Invite local candidates, legislators, county commissioners and school board members to talk. Students show up for a person more than a flyer.
  • Make it social. Debate and election watch parties, a potluck, a trip to the Capitol. People stay where they have friends.
  • Give everyone a job. Social media, events, outreach, treasurer. People stick with a club they help run.

What to do all year

  • Register voters. Run registration tables, especially at the start of each semester and before deadlines. Your county election office can tell you the rules for a registration drive.
  • Work on campaigns. Knock doors and make calls with your county party and local Democratic candidates.
  • Show up where decisions get made. City council, school board and county commission meetings, and the Legislature when it's in session. Here's how to follow and testify on bills, even remotely.
  • Use your voice. Letters to the editor, public comment and petitions. Citizen Power covers how each one works.
  • Fill seats. Precinct committee seats are open in many counties, and students can serve. Here's how.

Keeping it going

  • Elect next year's officers each spring, and pick at least one freshman or sophomore so the club outlasts you.
  • Keep accounts in the club's name. Use a club email for social media and shared files so nothing is lost when someone graduates.
  • Write down what worked. A one-page "how we did it" for each event saves the next group from starting over.
  • Stay connected to your county party and other campus clubs around the state.

Resources

Other ways to get started

  • Take a precinct seat. Precinct committee seats are volunteer jobs, and many are empty. Here's how.
  • Run for something. School boards, city councils and county seats need young candidates. Run for Something recruits and supports young first-time candidates, and our How to Run guide covers filing, fees and campaigns.
  • Learn a trade. Not headed to college? Montana's union apprenticeship programs pay you while you train. See the list from the Montana AFL-CIO.
  • Vote where you live. If you're away at school and have questions about where to register, your county election office can answer them.

Find your people

LGBTQ community groups across Montana:

List your clubWays to start this week

Help make this page better

Is something missing? Out of date? Hard to follow? Tell us what would make it work for more Montanans. Every note gets read.

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