League of Women Voters of Montana Guest Editorial:  Montana Primary Determines Montana Legislature 

Primary Election Determines Vast Majority of Legislators in Montana

Voting in the Primary Election is essential. The November General Election determines which candidates are elected to office, but in most Montana legislative districts, the June Primary Election determines the General Election winner. If you want your values to be reflected in the Montana legislature, vote in the Primary! 

The Primary Election will likely determine 83% of the legislators in the Montana House of Representatives, and 92% of the Senate seats up for election. This is because in most Montana legislative districts, one political party dominates, and the dominant party candidates win in the General Election. This is true for both major political parties.  Districts that vote predominantly Republican will elect the Republican candidate chosen in the Primary, and districts that vote predominantly Democrat will elect the Democrat candidate chosen in the Primary. 

Montana voters will be voting in new legislative districts this year. Every ten years the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission re-draws the 100 legislative districts based on the results of the census. Of the 100 new Montana House of Representative districts, all of which are on the ballot in the Primary, only 17 are “competitive,” defined as having the percentages of Republican and Democrat votes cast in previous elections fall between 45-55%.  Of the fifty new Montana Senate districts, only seven are “competitive” and only 2 of these competitive Senate seats are up for election this year. This means that for 106 of the 125 legislative races on the ballot for 2024, the candidate who wins the Primary will likely be elected in the General election.

In a Primary Election voters chose from a slate of candidates from only one political party and the political party “nominates” the winning candidate to run in the General Election. Even though their votes are confined in the Primary to one political party, voters often have a larger slate of candidates to choose from than voters in the General Election. Primary candidates can represent a wide range of perspectives within their own political party. Historically, Primary Elections have lower voter turnout, and those who vote have more politically extreme values than the mainstream voters of each political party. Consequently, a party may nominate a candidate with views that don’t represent the majority of party members.

Some voters are reluctant to vote in the Primary because they don’t know much about the candidates and don’t know where to find accurate information about them. The League of Women Voters hosts the website VOTE411 where candidate enter their responses to questions themselves, in the candidate’s own words. You can go to the VOTE411 website, enter your street address, and see all of the candidates who will be on your ballot for the June primary, and their candidate information.  If candidates haven’t responded to the questions, VOTE411 has their contact information so you can contact them and ask them to respond. 

Make your vote count this year by voting in the Primary June 4th!

If you are voting using an absentee ballot, your ballot must be received by your County Election Office by 8:00 pm on  Election Day, Tuesday, June 4. 

If you are voting in person, you must be registered to vote. You can check your registration at the Secretary of State website:

https://prodvoterportal.mt.gov/WhereToVote.aspx

You can register by going in-person to the Election Office in your county during regular business hours before Election Day up to noon on Monday, June 3.  You can also register and vote on Election Day June 4, although lines may be long. Eligible voters in line by 8:00 pm will be allowed to vote. 

Nancy Leifer, President, League of Women Voters of Montana