IMPORTANT
The Election Department administers the maintenance of the voter registration files, candidate filings and all aspects of the election process.
After the close of municipal filing, I notified the three municipalities in Yellowstone County that their municipal primary elections were cancelled due to a lack of candidates in conformity with 13-15-115, MCA. However, a governing body may still require that a primary election be held for a nonpartisan office if it passes a resolution not more than 10 days after the close of filing. Filing closed at 5 PM on June 11, 2025. No resolutions have been passed within the 10 day window. Therefore, there will be no municipal primary for any municipality in Yellowstone County (Billings, Laurel, Broadview). All municipal candidates will advance to the appropriate municipal general election which will be held on November 4, 2025.
The Election Administrator has notified the City of Billings, the City of Laurel, and the Township of Broadview that the September 9th primary election for each municipality has been cancelled due to a lack of candidates in conformity with 13-15-115, MCA. However, a governing body may still require that a primary election be held for a nonpartisan office if it passes a resolution not more than 10 days after the close of filing. Filing closed at 5 PM on June 11, 2025.
The 69th Legislature recently passed Chapter 643, L. 2025 (HB 207) which modified municipal candidate filing dates, and that bill was effective on passage and approval. Therefore, candidate filing dates have been revised in line with the recent 2025 legislative changes:
*Other documents may list the superseded deadlines prior to the 2025 Legislative Changes.
Mail ballots for the May 6, 2025, School Election will be removed from their secrecy envelopes starting at 8 am on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Individuals interested in viewing the early preparation process should report to the Elections Office, Room 101, at the Yellowstone County Courthouse, 217 N 27th Street, Billings.
Votes will be counted beginning at 8 am on Monday, May 5, 2025, at the Yellowstone County Courthouse, 217 N 27th St, Billings, as specified in 13-15-201, MCA, by DS 850 Central Scanners and Tabulators and a DS 950 Scanner and Tabulator. Vote counting procedures are open to public observation. Any person observing the procedures of the count must complete and sign an affirmation stating, “I, _____, will not discuss the results of the early counting of votes at any time prior to the closing of the polls on election day,” and is subject to 13-35-241, MCA:
13-35-241. Release of Vote Tally – Penalty -- Canvass.
Preliminary results will be posted beginning at 8 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at yellowstonecountymt.gov/elections/results.
Accepted provisional ballots will be counted and added to the vote totals at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2025, at the Yellowstone County Courthouse, 217 N 27th Street, Billings.
The canvass of each school district election will be completed by each school district. The canvass for the special district election will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Rm. 3108 of the Stillwater Building, 316 N 26th Street Billings, Montana.
All the above are open to the public. If you are interested in observing any of these processes, please call (406) 256-2740.
Notice of In-Person Voting & Accessible Voting Location for the May 6, 2025, School & Special District Election:
The in-person voting location for Yellowstone County citizens is the Yellowstone County Elections Office located at the Yellowstone County Courthouse, Room 101, 217 N. 27th Street, Billings, Montana through 5:00 p.m. on May 5, 2025, and on Election Day May 6, 2025, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Yellowstone County Courthouse. The Courthouse is designated as an accessible location.
Ballots were mailed to active registered voters on April 21, 2025. Voters should place $0.73 postage (or a Forever Stamp) on the return envelope to mail their ballot. Only voters in districts conducting elections will receive ballots. Contact the election department at (406) 256-2740 if you have questions or have not received a ballot for the School Election in which you are entitled to vote.
The Yellowstone County Elections Office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voter registration is required by law to close from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 5, 2025. Between noon and the close of business on May 5, you can complete and submit a voter registration form, but you will need to return to the local election office on Election Day to pick up and vote a ballot. On Election Day, May 6, 2025, voter registration reopens with extended hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Pursuant to Montana Code Annotated (13-17-212) and Administrative Rule (44.3.1713), “no more than 30 days prior to an election in which a voting system is used, the election administrator shall publicly test and certify that the system is performing properly.” Please be advised that public testing of the Yellowstone County voting system for the Yellowstone County School Election will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 3:00 p.m., in Room 105 of the Yellowstone County Courthouse.
Mail ballots for active voters will be mailed out on April 21 2025. Not all school districts and special districts are holding contested elections. To see if you are eligible for this election, please check voterportal.mt.gov. If you are eligible, your sample ballot for this election will appear. If you are an active voter and believe you are qualified to receive a ballot in this election and you do not receive your ballot by April 28, please contact the Elections office for a replacement ballot. If you are unsure if you are an active voter or if you qualify to receive a ballot, you may check your voter status and the current election at voterportal.mt.gov.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 20-3-313, MCA, the following school trustee election(s) will not be held for the following school districts as the number of candidates nominated is less than or equal to the number of positions to be elected.
IT IS HEREBY DECLARED THAT said school trustee election(s) will not be held and the candidates who filed for the position(s) will be elected by acclamation.
If no one filed for a trustee position, a vacancy is created, and the vacancy must be filled by the remaining trustees pursuant to 20-3-309, MCA.
DATED this 4th day of April 2025
/s/ K.V. Aldric
Yellowstone County Election Administrator
NOTICE is hereby given that regular* registration for the School Election(s) to be held on May 6, 2025, will close at 5:00 p.m., on April 7, 2025.
*NOTE: If you miss this regular registration deadline, you may still register and vote in the election during late registration by showing up in person at the Yellowstone County Election Office located in Room 101 of the County Courthouse at 217 N. 27th Street, Billings, MT until 8 PM on Election Day. However, late registration is closed between noon and 5 pm on the day before Election Day (May 5, 2025). On Election Day, May 6, 2025, late registration resumes at the Election Office and is available from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
All active and inactive **electors of School Districts 2, 3, 4, 7, 7-70, 8, 15, 17, 21J, 23, 24, 26, 37, 41, 52, & 58 are entitled to vote at said election.
**Ballots will be automatically mailed to Active Electors only. If you are a registered voter and do not receive a ballot, contact the county election office to update your information as necessary and receive a ballot.
Persons who wish to register and who are not presently registered may do so by submitting a form for registration by mail or by appearing at the county election office. If you have moved, please update your registration information by filling out a new voter registration form and submitting it to the county election office.