How to vote · 2026
Montana
Any voter can request a mail ballot
Every date below comes from the Montana election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 5, 2026Advance registration by mail (postmarked Oct. 5, received Oct. 8) or in person by Oct. 5, 2026; no online registration. Late/same-day registration at county election offices Oct. 5 through Election Day (a 2025 law curtailing Election Day registration was preliminarily enjoined in May 2026).
Mail-ballot request deadlineNovember 2, 2026
Mail ballots first sentOctober 9, 2026Absentee ballots are mailed starting 25 days before Election Day (Oct. 9, 2026; MCA 13-13-205). Most Montana voters are on the permanent absentee list. Applications accepted until noon Nov. 2.
Return ruleMust be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day
Early in-person votingOctober 5, 2026through November 3, 2026 · In-person absentee/early voting at county election offices from Oct. 5, 2026 through Election Day.
Official MT election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[2] Mail voting Oct. 9-Nov. 3, 2026; includes MT SOS correspondence (May 2026)[3] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[4] NCSL Table 7: statutory rule for when absentee/mail ballots are mailed[5] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[6] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline
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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
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