Regular registration for the November municipal election ends today and late registration begins Oct. 7 at the Cascade County elections office through noon on Nov. 3.

On election day, Nov. 4, voters can update their registration or reactivate their registration status and receive a ballot only at Exhibition Hall at Montana Expo Park.

Some city races and write-in lines won’t be on ballot; envelopes will require birth year

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices certified all the filed city candidates in late September so they will appear on the ballot, which includes:

• mayor: incumbent Cory Reeves and Jasmine Taylor
• city commissioner (two available seats): incumbent Joe McKenney, Matt Pipinich, Pete Anderson and Casey Schreiner
• Municipal Court judge: incumbent Mark Dunn
• Neighborhood Council 3 (five available seats): Eric Peterson, Garri Mauch, Emily Bertsch, Dale Moore, Kathleen Gessaman and Bradley Rieh
• the question of limiting the types of allowable fireworks within the city limits

Ballots will be mailed Oct. 20.

In mid-September, Terry Thompson, county election administrator, told City Commissioners that she didn’t think people understood changes to election laws that were made in 2023 and 2025 and the subsequent administrative rules that are now in place.

County elections office updating voter database, some voters receiving letter to update information

At the time, she said if there were no filed write-in candidates for a race, the ballot will not include lines for write-ins.

Only ballots cast for official candidates, including write-ins, will be counted or logged.

In late September, she told The Electric that the Montana Secretary of State had said counties have to print the write-in lines on the November ballot because the new ballot layout guide, which removes those write-in lines, is part of a pending Administrative Rules of Montana change that may not be approved in time for the election.

City Commission sends fireworks to November ballot

Thompson said she was visiting all of the city’s neighborhood councils to explain that change as well as the new requirement for voters to write their birth year on their ballot envelope when they sign their envelope.

The November ballot will include one write-in line for mayor, two for commissioner and five for Neighborhood Council 3.

There will be no write-in line for the judge since it’s a retention question, Thompson said.

It’s a mail only election and ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. Nov. 4.

Ballots can be returned in person to the elections office at Courthouse Annex at 325 2nd Ave. N. during regular business hours.

Filing closes for city election, primary not needed

On Nov. 4, voted ballots can be returned at the following sites from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

• Cascade County election office, 325 2nd Ave. N.
• Exhibition Hall at the Montana Expo Park, 400 3rd St. N.W.

A qualified voter who will be absent from this area during the time of the election is being conducted may: vote in person in the election office as soon as the ballots are available and until noon the day before the ballots are scheduled to be mailed; or make a written request, signed by the applicant and addressed to the election administrator that the ballot be mailed to an address other than that which appears on the registration card. Written requests will be accepted until noon the day before the ballots are scheduled to be mailed, according to the election office.