Montana counties would consider volunteers and balance polling teams’ affiliations

County officials could consider people who volunteer their own names and would assign appointed workers to election boards, the teams that run polling places. Officials could choose from local party committees’ nominee lists and lists of people who submit their own names, including people without a party affiliation. Workers would need to meet election-worker qualifications and be available for training. Each team would include at least two political parties or affiliations. Where possible, each committee submitting nominees and every party eligible for the primary would be represented, and one party would hold no more seats than needed for a simple majority. Officials could consider workers’ qualifications, experience, and availability when assigning teams. Officials would notify committees at least 90 days before the nominee-list deadline, which falls at least 45 days before even-year primaries. The proposed January 1, 2026, start date never took effect because the bill failed.

Election administrators would notify local party committees when certain workers they nominated are permanently removed. Removal notices would cover election workers nominated by a political party’s county committee. The removal would have to be for violating election law or disrupting a polling place. A committee could file an official complaint with the county governing body if it missed a required notice or its nominee list was not used as required. The proposal set January 1, 2026, as its effective date, but it did not pass.

Election administrators would ask training attendees without a party committee nomination about their political preference and consider it when assigning polling teams. Election administrators would also give each county party committee notice of the training’s place and time. Attendees without a committee nomination would be asked whether they preferred a party eligible for the primary or independent status. Officials would consider certified workers’ preferences to avoid giving one party more seats than needed for a simple majority. During emergencies, officials would first try to fill vacancies with workers holding current training certificates before seeking workers without them. The proposal set January 1, 2026, as its effective date, but it did not pass.