Montana State Senate elections, 2020

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

Past Election Results

2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008

2020 Elections
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Montana Republicans expanded their majority in the 2020 Senate elections but fell short of winning a supermajority. Twenty-five of the chamber's 50 seats were up for election in 2020. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 30-20 majority, including a 16-9 majority among the 25 seats up in 2020. Republicans gained a net one seat from Democrats in 2020, leaving the chamber's post-election partisan balance at a 31-19 Republican majority. A 34-seat majority is required in order to override a governor's veto.

The Montana State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. A total of 25 seats out of the chamber's 50 seats 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 senates and State government trifectas

Montana State Senate
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	20	19
	Republican Party	30	31
Total		50	50

Candidates

The candidate list below is based on candidate filing lists provided by the Montana Secretary of State on March 10, 2020. (I) denotes an incumbent.

General election

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The Gallatin County Republicans appointed Nicolas Allevato to replace Rick Vaught on the District 31 general election ballot after Vaught withdrew from the race.
Susan Campbell Reneau was appointed to replace Mike Warner on the District 45 general election ballot after Warner withdrew from the election.

Primary election

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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

One incumbent lost in the Nov. 3 general election. That incumbent was:

Name	Party	Office
Margaret MacDonald	Democratic	Senate District 26

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

One incumbent, Tom Richmond (R), lost in the June 2 primaries. One incumbent was defeated in the 2018 and 2014 primaries, as well. No incumbents were defeated in the 2016 primaries.

Name	Party	Office
Tom Richmond		Senate District 28

Retiring incumbents

There were 12 open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Dee Brown	Republican	Senate District 2
Albert Olszewski	Republican	Senate District 6
Jennifer Fielder	Republican	Senate District 7
Frank Smith	Democratic	Senate District 16
Roger Webb	Republican	Senate District 23
Mike Phillips	Democratic	Senate District 31
Scott Sales	Republican	Senate District 35
Jon Sesso	Democratic	Senate District 37
Gene Vuckovich	Democratic	Senate District 39
Fred Thomas	Republican	Senate District 44
Dick Barrett	Democratic	Senate District 45
Sue Malek	Democratic	Senate District 46

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

Open Seats in Montana State Senate elections: 2010 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	25	12 (48 percent)	13 (52 percent)
2018	25	8 (32 percent)	17 (68 percent)
2016	25	14 (56 percent)	11 (44 percent)
2014	25	11 (44 percent)	14 (56 percent)
2012	24	11 (46 percent)	14 (54 percent)
2010	26	16 (62 percent)	10 (38 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 State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Montana State Senate	Qualified party	N/A	$15.00	3/9/2020	Source
Montana State Senate	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 State Senate, 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 State Senate
• Montana State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• Montana State Legislature

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Montana State Senate

Senators

District 1

Mike Cuffe (R)

District 2

Carl Glimm (R)

District 3

Keith Regier (R)

District 4

John Fuller (R)

District 5

Mark Noland (R)

District 6

Greg Hertz (R)

District 7

Greg Hinkle (R)

District 8

Susan Webber (D)

District 9

Bruce Gillespie (R)

District 10

Steve Fitzpatrick (R)

District 11

Daniel Emrich (R)

District 12

Wendy McKamey (R)

District 13

Jeremy Trebas (R)

District 14

Russel Tempel (R)

District 15

Dan Bartel (R)

District 16

Mike Fox (D)

District 17

Mike Lang (R)

District 18

Steve Hinebauch (R)

District 19

Kenneth Bogner (R)

District 20

Barry Usher (R)

District 21

Jason Small (R)

District 22

Daniel Zolnikov (R)

District 23

Tom McGillvray (R)

District 24

Emma Kerr-Carpenter (D)

District 25

Jen Gross (D)

District 26

Chris Friedel (R)

District 27

Dennis Lenz (R)

District 28

Brad Molnar (R)

District 29

Forrest Mandeville (R)

District 30

John Esp (R)

District 31

Christopher Pope (D)

District 32

Pat Flowers (D)

District 33

Denise Hayman (D)

District 34

Shelley Vance (R)

District 35

Walt Sales (R)

District 36

Jeffrey Welborn (R)

District 37

Ryan Lynch (D)

District 38

Edith McClafferty (D)

District 39

Terry Vermeire (R)

District 40

Becky Beard (R)

District 41

Janet Ellis (D)

District 42

Mary Dunwell (D)

District 43

Jason Ellsworth (R)

District 44

Theresa Manzella (R)

District 45

Ellie Boldman (D)

District 46

Shannon O'Brien (D)

District 47

Daniel Salomon (R)

District 48

Shane Morigeau (D)

District 49

Willis Curdy (D)

District 50

Andrea Olsen (D)

Republican Party (34)

Democratic Party (16)