How to run in Montana, 2028
What it takes to get on Montana's 2028 ballot for the U.S. House or President, from the state's election office and laws. Montana has no U.S. Senate seat up in 2028.
U.S. House
Who can run
- At least 25 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
- Living in the state when elected (the Constitution doesn't require living in the district)
- An independent candidate may not have been associated with a political party for 1 year before submitting the nomination petition; 'associated' means having run in Montana as a partisan candidate or holding a Montana public office or precinct committee office with a party designation (MCA 13-10-507, per the Secretary of State's guide). source
Getting on the Montana ballot
| Where to file | Montana Secretary of State (MCA 13-10-201(2)). Petition signatures go first to the county election administrator of the county where the signers live. |
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| When | Party primary: no sooner than Tuesday, February 22, 2028 and no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, 2028 (105 to 90 days before the June 6, 2028 primary, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June). Independent and minor-party candidates: petitions to county election administrators about one week before the primary (May 30, 2028) and the declaration and fee filed before the primary (by June 5, 2028), following the 2026 pattern (May 26 and June 1, 2026). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | File a Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy affirming the candidate meets the qualifications for the office, acknowledged before a notary or the filing officer unless filed electronically with the Secretary of State; it may be faxed, emailed, delivered in person or mailed, with the filing fee. A candidate may file for only one office and one party's nomination. Ballot access also depends on filing the required campaign finance forms. |
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| Fee | 1% of the office's annual salary (MCA 13-10-202): $1,740 in 2026, based on a $174,000 salary. |
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| Petition instead | Indigent candidates may file a statement of inability to pay with a nomination petition instead of the fee (MCA 13-10-203); indigent major-party candidates submit signatures to county election officials one week before the declaration deadline. Independent / minor-party route: declaration of intent, filing fee (refunded if the petition is not certified), and a petition signed by registered voters in the district numbering at least 4% of the votes cast for the winning candidate for the office at the last general election (MCA 13-10-502, as amended in 2025); for 2026 this was 6,742 (District 1) and 7,274 (District 2). There is no earliest date to collect signatures. These candidates appear on the general election ballot only. |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution
President
Who can run: At least 35 years old; A natural-born U.S. citizen; A U.S. resident for at least 14 years (U.S. Constitution).
Getting on Montana's presidential primary ballot
| How | The candidate, or an authorized campaign official, files the Secretary of State's Presidential Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy with the filing fee. The candidate must then qualify in one of two ways (MCA 13-10-404). (a) A nominating petition with at least 500 verified signatures of qualified electors, on a form the Secretary of State prescribes. (b) A finding by the Secretary of State, by the declaration deadline, that the candidate is eligible for federal primary matching payments (26 U.S.C. 9031 et seq.). The presidential preference primary uses the regular party primary ballots, with the presidential section first (MCA 13-10-402). The declaration is a declaration for one party's nomination (MCA 13-10-201(5)). |
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| Where | Montana Secretary of State, Elections and Voter Services, Helena. Petition sheets and signature-gatherer affidavits go first to the election administrator of the county where the signatures were gathered, who verifies them and forwards them to the Secretary of State (MCA 13-10-405). |
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| When | 2028 dates computed from statute: declaration accepted from Tuesday, February 22, 2028 (105 days before the primary) until 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, 2028 (90 days before; MCA 13-10-201(7)). Petitions due to county election administrators at least 1 week before that deadline, by March 1, 2028 (MCA 13-10-405). Primary: Tuesday, June 6, 2028 (first Tuesday after the first Monday in June; MCA 13-1-107, 13-10-401). (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | Equal to the U.S. Senate filing fee (MCA 13-10-202(3)). That was $1,740 in the Secretary of State's 2024 fee schedule, which says all candidates filing for President pay it. An indigent candidate may file petitions instead of paying (MCA 13-10-203). |
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| Petition | At least 500 verified signatures of qualified electors (MCA 13-10-404(1)(a)), unless the candidate qualifies through federal matching-payment eligibility instead. |
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Sources: archive.legmt.gov · archive.legmt.gov (2) · archive.legmt.gov (3) · archive.legmt.gov (4) · archive.legmt.gov (5) · 2024-Offices Qualifications and Fees(550730a8ac07ca5a875783e… · Filing (sosmt.gov)
Running as an independent in November
| How | An independent candidate, or the candidate of a party not qualified in Montana, files a petition for nomination with the Secretary of State (MCA 13-10-504). Petition sheets and signature-gatherer affidavits go first to the election administrator in each signer's county for verification. The names of the required number of presidential electors (Montana's electoral votes) must be certified to the Secretary of State by the same 76-day deadline. The Secretary of State's general independent-candidate guidance also cites MCA 13-10-507: an independent candidate may not have been associated with a political party in Montana during the year before submitting the petition. That means having run in Montana as a partisan candidate, or having held a Montana public office or precinct committee office with a party designation. An independent may not use any word of an existing party's name in a way that implies being that party's candidate (MCA 13-10-602). |
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| Where | County election administrators verify petition sheets. The petition is then filed with the Montana Secretary of State, Helena. |
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| When | Computed from statute: due 76 days before the general election (MCA 13-10-504(1)), which is Wednesday, August 23, 2028. Petition sheets go to county election administrators at least 1 week before, by Wednesday, August 16, 2028. Elector names are due by the same 76-day deadline. (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | The Secretary of State's 2024 fee schedule says all candidates for President pay a fee equal to the U.S. Senate filing fee ($1,740 in 2024; MCA 13-10-202(3)). Indigent candidates may submit the petition signatures instead. |
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| Petition | Signatures of electors equal to 5% of the total votes cast for the winning candidate for governor at the last general election, or 5,000, whichever is less (MCA 13-10-504(3)). Five percent of a statewide winning governor's vote is far above 5,000, so the requirement is 5,000. |
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| Also | Electors must be certified by the 76-day deadline. The vice-presidential candidate does not have to be named at filing: a qualified independent presidential candidate may amend the petition to name or choose a running mate until the elector-nomination date the Secretary of State sets under MCA 13-25-101 (MCA 13-10-504(4)). Elector names do not appear on the ballot. |
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Sources: archive.legmt.gov · archive.legmt.gov (2) · Independent Minor Party Indigent Candidate Information(573c2… · 2024-Offices Qualifications and Fees(550730a8ac07ca5a875783e…
Campaign money
- Once you raise or spend more than $5,000, file a Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2) within 15 days.
- Your campaign committee then files a Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1) within 10 days and reports to the FEC.
FEC: registering as a candidate · FEC campaign guides
Checked November 4, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with Montana's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
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