As of Sunday night, more than 300,000 Montanans have voted in the upcoming midterm elections, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s office. The office reported that 56.6% of the more than 530,000 absentee ballots sent out had been returned, including around 45,000 from Yellowstone County, 41,000 from Missoula County, 34,000 from Gallatin County, and more than 31,000 from Flathead County.
The Secretary of State’s office also noted that approximately 806,413 Montanans are registered to vote in 2026, an increase of 1.8% compared to the same report in 2024. During the last midterm election in 2022, 468,000 Montanans voted, with a voter turnout of 61%. In 2018, the last midterm election held while President Donald Trump was in office, 71.5% of voters turned out – a midterm record of more than 509,000.
Montana will set a new general election record if just 50% of registered voters who have not yet cast a ballot show up to the polls on Tuesday. The large quantity of early voters in the state mirrors a nationwide trend. States Newsroom’s D.C. bureau reported that on Friday, early voters had already set a record for turnout with more than 46 million ballots cast across the country.
In Montana, voters are casting ballots for a U.S. Senate seat, both U.S. House seats, a state supreme court candidate, two seats on the Montana Public Service Commission, and 125 legislative races. Three ballot initiatives are also up for decisions as are numerous local government seats.
Poll locations in Montana are required by law in most cases to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., though smaller polling locations may be open from noon to 8 p.m. Across Montana, weather for those going to the polls in person looks relatively nice. Clear skies are expected in Billings, with cloudy and cool weather forecast for Great Falls, Butte, Missoula, and Kalispell. No early wintry conditions are expected this year.
