Montana House of Representatives elections, 2020

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2020 Montana House Elections
General	November 3, 2020
Primary	June 2, 2020

Past Election Results

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2020 Elections
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Montana Republicans won a supermajority in the 2020 House elections. All 100 House seats were up in 2020. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 58-42 majority. Republicans gained a net nine seats from Democrats, leaving the chamber's post-election partisan balance at 67-33. A 67-seat majority is required to override a governor's veto.

The Montana House of Representatives was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. All 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.

Montana's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In Montana, a commission is responsible for drawing district lines. This commission comprises five members. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the state legislature select one member apiece. These four members then select a fifth to serve as the commission's chair.

Click here to read about Republican state legislative primaries.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Montana modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Counties were authorized to conduct the general election entirely by mail.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Montana House of Representatives
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	42	33
	Republican Party	58	67
Total		100	100

General election

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The Gallatin County Democratic Party selected Emily Brosten to replace Montana House of Representatives District 68 candidate Claire Broling on the general election ballot after Broling withdrew from the race.
Karen Sherman was appointed to replace Kelsey Cooley on the District 94 general election ballot after Cooley withdrew from the election.

Primary election
The candidate lists below are based on candidate filing lists provided by the Montana Secretary of State.

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Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

Five incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Debo Powers	Democratic	House District 3
Brad Hamlett	Democratic	House District 23
Barbara Bessette	Democratic	House District 24
Jasmine Krotkov	Democratic	House District 25
Jade Bahr	Democratic	House District 50

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

Five incumbents lost in the June 2 primaries, the highest number since 2012 when three incumbents were defeated in the primaries.

Name	Party	Office
David Dunn		House District 9
Joel Krautter		House District 35
Frederick Moore		House District 37
Bruce Grubbs		House District 68
Greg DeVries		House District 75

Retiring incumbents

There were 30 open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Carl Glimm	Republican	House District 6
Greg Hertz	Republican	House District 12
Bob Brown	Republican	House District 13
Casey Schreiner	Democratic	House District 26
Jacob Bachmeier	Democratic	House District 28
Bridget Smith	Democratic	House District 31
Alan Doane	Republican	House District 36
Rae Peppers	Democratic	House District 41
Peggy Webb	Republican	House District 43
Dale Mortensen	Republican	House District 44
Daniel Zolnikov	Republican	House District 45
Rodney Garcia	Republican	House District 52
Forrest Mandeville	Republican	House District 57
Alan Redfield	Republican	House District 59
Tom Woods	Democratic	House District 62
Zach Brown	Democratic	House District 63
Kerry White	Republican	House District 64
Christopher Pope	Democratic	House District 65
Tom Burnett	Republican	House District 67
Walt Sales	Republican	House District 69
Ray Shaw	Republican	House District 71
Ryan Lynch	Democratic	House District 76
Mark Sweeney	Democratic	House District 77
Gordon Pierson	Democratic	House District 78
Theresa Manzella	Republican	House District 85
Nancy Ballance	Republican	House District 87
Kimberly Dudik	Democratic	House District 94
Shane Morigeau	Democratic	House District 95
Tom Winter	Democratic	House District 96
Marilyn Ryan	Democratic	House District 99

The 30 seats left open in 2020 were roughly average relative to the five preceding election cycles. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in Montana House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	100	30 (30 percent)	70 (70 percent)
2018	100	29 (29 percent)	71 (71 percent)
2016	100	31 (31 percent)	69 (69 percent)
2014	100	30 (30 percent)	70 (70 percent)
2012	100	31 (31 percent)	69 (69 percent)
2010	100	33 (33 percent)	67 (67 percent)

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Montana

For qualified party candidates

See statutes: Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 201 of the Montana Code Annotated 2013

In order to qualify for placement on the primary ballot, a candidate for the nomination of a recognized political party must file a declaration of nomination and pay the required filing fees. The declaration must include an oath of candidacy, which the candidate is required to sign to affirm that, under the state constitution and applicable federal and state laws, he or she is qualified to hold the office being sought. This paperwork must be filed with the Montana Secretary of State if the office being sought is a congressional seat, a state or district office voted for in more than one county, or a state legislative seat.

Filing fees are established in Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 202, of the Montana Code Annotated 2013. These fees are summarized in the table below.

Filing fees
Office sought	How the fee is determined
For offices earning an annual salary of $2,500 or less and members of the state legislature	$15
For offices (except county-level) earning an annual salary of more than $2,500	1% of salary
For offices in which compensation is paid in fees	$10

For independent, indigent, and non-qualified party candidates

See statutes: Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 501 of the Montana Code Annotated 2013

In order to qualify for placement on the general election ballot, a candidate must file an "Independent, Minor Party, or Indigent Candidate Declaration, Oath of Candidacy, and Petition for Nomination." Independent and non-qualified party candidates are liable for the same filing fees as qualified party candidates (see table above). Indigent candidates (i.e., those who do not have the resources to pay the filing fees) are not required to pay the statutory filing fees and may have their names placed on the ballot via the petition process only.

Nominating petitions must be signed by electors residing within the state and district or political subdivision in which the official is to be elected. Valid signatures must total at least 5 percent of the total votes cast at the last general election for the successful candidate for the office being sought.

For write-in candidates

In order to have his or her votes counted, a write-in candidate must submit to the Montana Secretary of State a "Declaration of Intent and Oath of Candidacy" and pay the requisite filing fees (noted above).

2020 ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for Montana House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Montana House of Representatives	Qualified party	N/A	$15.00	3/9/2020	Source
Montana House of Representatives	Unaffiliated	5% of votes cast for the last successful candidate for the office	$15.00	6/1/2020	Source

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the Montana House of Representatives, a candidate must be:

• A resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election
• A resident of the county for six months preceding the general election if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$104.86/legislative day	$171/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Montana legislators assume office the first Monday of January following the election. If January 1 is a Monday, legislators assume office on the first Wednesday.

Montana political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Montana Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	S	S	R	R	S	S	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Presidential politics in Montana

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, Montana, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	35.7%	177,709	0
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	56.2%	279,240	3
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	5.6%	28,037	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	1.6%	7,970	0
	American Delta	Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg	0.3%	1,570	0
	-	Other/Write-in	0.5%	2,621	0
Total Votes				497,147	3
Election results via: Federal Election Commission

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Montana utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Montana, polling place hours vary throughout the state. Most polling places open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m., although in areas with fewer than 400 registered voters, polling places may open as late as 12:00 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Montana, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Montana for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the election. People serving a felony sentence in a penal institution and those who have been declared by a court to be of unsound mind are not eligible to vote.

Citizens can register to vote in person by completing a registration application at their county election office. They can register by mailing the application to their county election administrator or submitting it when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state ID. Citizens may also register to vote at their county election offices, certain designated locations, or at their designated polling location on Election Day.

Automatic registration

Montana does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Montana does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

Montana allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

In order to register to vote in Montana, applicants must have lived in the state for at least 30 days prior to the election.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Montana does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. As of November 2024, five states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site My Voter Page, run by the Montana secretary of state’s office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Montana requires voters to present identification while voting.

Montana's voter identification requirements are outlined in Section 13-13-114 of Montana Code, as amended when SB 169 was signed into law on April 19, 2021. The law states, "Before an elector is permitted to receive a ballot or vote, the elector shall present to an election judge one of the following forms of identification showing the elector's name:"

“

(i) Montana driver's license, Montana state identification card issued pursuant to 61-12-501, military identification card, tribal photo identification card., United States passport, or Montana concealed carry permit; or (ii) (A) a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document that shows the elector's name and current address; and (B) photo identification that shows the elector's name, including but not limited to a school district or postsecondary education photo identification.

”

On March 27, 2024, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the portion of SB 169 that precluded the use of student ID for voter identification was unconstitutional. See here for more.

Early voting

Montana permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Montana. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.

To vote absentee, an absentee ballot application must be received by county election officials by noon the day prior to the election. A returned absentee ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day in order to be counted.

See also

• Montana House of Representatives
• Montana State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• Montana State Legislature

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Montana House of Representatives

Representatives

District 1

Steve Gunderson (R)

District 2

Neil Duram (R)

District 3

Braxton Mitchell (R)

District 4

Matt Regier (R)

District 5

Dave Fern (D)

District 6

Amy Regier (R)

District 7

Courtenay Sprunger (R)

District 8

Terry Falk (R)

District 9

Tony Brockman (R)

District 10

Bob Keenan (R)

District 11

Tanner Smith (R)

District 12

Linda Reksten (R)

District 13

Paul Fielder (R)

District 14

Denley Loge (R)

District 15

Marvin Weatherwax (D)

District 16

Tyson Running Wolf (D)

District 17

Ross Fitzgerald (R)

District 18

Llew Jones (R)

District 19

Russ Miner (R)

District 20

Fred Anderson (R)

District 21

Edward Buttrey (R)

District 22

Lola Sheldon-Galloway (R)

District 23

Scot Kerns (R)

District 24

Steven Galloway (R)

District 25

Steve Gist (R)

District 26

George Nikolakakos (R)

District 27

Joshua Kassmier (R)

District 28

Paul Tuss (D)

District 29

Edward Butcher (R)

District 30

James Bergstrom (R)

District 31

Frank Smith (D)

District 32

Jonathan Windy Boy (D)

District 33

Casey Knudsen (R)

District 34

Rhonda Knudsen (R)

District 35

Brandon Ler (R)

District 36

Bob Phalen (R)

District 37

Jerry Schillinger (R)

District 38

Greg Kmetz (R)

District 39

Gary Parry (R)

District 40

Greg Oblander (R)

District 41

Gayle Lammers (R)

District 42

Sharon Stewart-Peregoy (D)

District 43

Kerri Seekins-Crowe (R)

District 44

Larry Brewster (R)

District 45

Katie Zolnikov (R)

District 46

Bill Mercer (R)

District 47

Denise Baum (D)

District 48

Jodee Etchart (R)

District 49

Vacant

District 50

Naarah Hastings (R)

District 51

Mike Yakawich (R)

District 52

Sherry Essmann (R)

District 53

Nelly Nicol (R)

District 54

Terry Moore (R)

District 55

Lee Deming (R)

District 56

Sue Vinton (R)

District 57

Fiona Nave (R)

District 58

Brad Barker (R)

District 59

Marty Malone (R)

District 60

Laurie Bishop (D)

District 61

Jim Hamilton (D)

District 62

Ed Stafman (D)

District 63

Alice Buckley (D)

District 64

Jane Gillette (R)

District 65

Kelly Kortum (D)

District 66

Eric Matthews (D)

District 67

Jedediah Hinkle (R)

District 68

Caleb Hinkle (R)

District 69

Jennifer Carlson (R)

District 70

Julie Dooling (R)

District 71

Kenneth Walsh (R)

District 72

Tom Welch (R)

District 73

Jennifer Lynch (D)

District 74

Derek Harvey (D)

District 75

Marta Bertoglio (R)

District 76

Donavon Hawk (D)

District 77

John Fitzpatrick (R)

District 78

Gregory Frazer (R)

District 79

Laura Smith (D)

District 80

Zachary Wirth (R)

District 81

Melissa Romano (D)

District 82

Mary Caferro (D)

District 83

Kim Abbott (D)

District 84

Jill Cohenour (D)

District 85

Michele Binkley (R)

District 86

David Bedey (R)

District 87

Ron Marshall (R)

District 88

Wayne Rusk (R)

District 89

Katie Sullivan (D)

District 90

Marilyn Marler (D)

District 91

Connie Keogh (D)

District 92

Mike Hopkins (R)

District 93

Joe Read (R)

District 94

Tom France (D)

District 95

SJ Howell (D)

District 96

Jonathan Karlen (D)

District 97

Lyn Hellegaard (R)

District 98

Bob Carter (D)

District 99

Mark Thane (D)

District 100

Zooey Zephyr (D)

Republican Party (68)

Democratic Party (31)

Vacancies (1)