Introduction and Overview

The Montana Ballot Layout Guide outlines the specific requirements for ballots used in Montana elections. 13-12-202(1), MCA gives authority to the Secretary of State to “… adopt statewide uniform rules that prescribe the ballot form for each type of ballot used in this state.” This guide is issued per ARM 44.3.2408 and is to be used by election administrators when designing and printing ballots.

The guide is divided into several sections, with the overall requirements followed by specific requirements for each election type. The goal is to ensure that ballots are uniform and that voters in one county of the state vote using the same format of ballot as voters in another county.

Section A. Ballot Format Requirements apply to all types of elections except for the unique requirements outlined for each different type of election in later sections. For elections conducted under other portions of the statute, any specific statutory formatting or ballot language requirements will override the requirements in this guide.

A.  Ballot Format Requirements

1. Paper and Font Uniformity

1. The same font typestyle and size shall be used for the names of all candidates printed upon the ballot.
2. The same font typestyle and size shall be used for all offices printed on the ballot.
3. The same font typestyle and size shall be used for all ballot issues printed on the
4. The size and type of paper for all ballots printed and used for an election within a county must be the If a school district is administering the election, then the size and type of paper for the ballots for that election must be the same.

2. Ballot Stubs

1. A perforated stub must be located at the bottom of the ballot and extend the entire The stub will be separated from the ballot for reconciliation purposes. The stubs must be the same width as the ballot and have an optimal perforation to facilitate their removal from the ballot.
2. The standard ballot stub length is one Election Administrators may use a three-inch stub at their discretion. If an Election Administrator uses a 17-inch ballot, then the ballot stub is required to be one inch. Intermediate ballot stub lengths between one inch and three inches are not allowed.
3. On the face of the stub of the ballot shall be printed or stamped the consecutive number of the ballot, beginning with number one, and increasing in regular numerical order to the total number of The stub number is separated by precinct, district, ward, or ballot style as applicable, and the number restarts for each unique precinct, district, ward, or ballot style. A range of ballots may be designated within these stub numbers, for each precinct, district, ward, or, as applicable, for use as provisional ballots.
4. When ballot stubs have been detached, it must be impossible to distinguish any one of the ballots from another for the same office or
5. Per 13-19-106(2), MCA, ballots used in a mail ballot election are not required to have stubs.

3. Ballot Title

1. The appropriate title for the election shall be printed in large boldface capital letters at the top center of each The ballot titles for each election type are found in Sections B through E in this document.
2. Immediately beneath the title shall appear the name of the county and a comma followed by “MONTANA”, followed by a hyphen and the date of the election on the same line or the next Below the words, a line shall extend the width of the sheet, less the margins.

4. Ballot Format

1. Beneath the title, the ballot shall be divided into columns of equal width by lines extending the length of the ballot from the top line to the bottom
2. Offices or ballot issues shall not be divided between The title of an office and the list of candidates for an office shall be in the same column and not split between columns. Ballot issues in their entirety, including the responses, shall be in the same column and not split between columns.

5. Instructions to Voters

1. On each ballot, at the top of the first column on the left side of the ballot shall be printed the following instructions, followed by a separation line printed across the first column:

INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS

1. 1. TO VOTE, COMPLETELY FILL IN () THE OVAL USING A BLUE OR BLACK
   2. To write in a name, completely fill in the oval to the left of the line provided, and on the line provided, print the name of the write-in candidate for whom you wish to
   3. DO NOT MAKE AN IDENTIFYING MARK, CROSS OUT, ERASE, OR USE CORRECTION FLUID. If you make a mistake or change your mind, exchange your ballot for a new one.

VOTE IN ALL COLUMNS
VOTE BOTH SIDES

6. Ballot Subheadings, Headers, and Footers

1. After the instructions, at the head of the first column to the left shall be printed, if necessary, in boldface capital letters, the words, “FEDERAL AND STATE“, with a line extending the entire width of the column above and below the
2. Following the line below the names and spaces for the last office in the federal and state category, the word “COUNTY“, if necessary, shall be printed in boldface capital letters with a line extending the entire width of the column above and below the words.
3. Following the line below the names and spaces for the last office in the county category, the word “MUNICIPAL“, if necessary, shall be printed in boldface capital letters with a line extending the entire width of the column above and below the words.
4. Following the line below the names and spaces for the last office in the city category, the word “PRECINCT“, if necessary, shall be printed in boldface capital letters with a line extending the entire width of the column above and below the words.
5. Following the line below the names and spaces for the last office in the precinct category, the word “BALLOT ISSUES”, if necessary, shall be printed in boldface capital letters with a line extending the entire width of the column above and below the words.
6. Where a subheading like “FEDERAL AND STATE” or “COUNTY” continues into the next column, it must be printed at the top of the column.
7. Where the ballot continues onto the back page, the footer must be placed in the last column on the page and printed in bold capital letters, “VOTE BOTH SIDES”.
8. At the bottom of the last column on the ballot with offices or ballot issues or below the last office or ballot issue, the footer must be placed and printed in bold capital letters: “END OF BALLOT”

7. Offices

1. Beneath each subheading as appropriate, the list of offices up for election shall be printed in the order prescribed by 13-12-207, MCA, down the column starting in the left-hand column and proceeding to the next column as necessary and as space allows.
2. An individual office is to be contained in a single column and may not be split between
3. The title of each office shall be printed in bold and all capital
4. Each office printed on the ballot must be in the same typestyle and font
5. The words “FOR” shall be printed in the same typestyle as the office title and be placed before the office title (e.g., “FOR STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 2”).
6. Beneath the office title shall be printed in bold capital letters, enclosed in parentheses, the words “(VOTE FOR {the number to be elected to the office})” or, if the office has multiple positions open, the words “(VOTE FOR UP TO {the number to be elected to the office})”. See Section 9 for exceptions for presidential and gubernatorial elections.
7. After the last candidate for the office, a line shall extend across the column to designate the end of the candidate list and to separate the office from the next office or ballot issue.
8. If the office title requires an additional district designation, then the district and number shall appear immediately below the position name and above the “VOTE FOR”
   
   Example:
   FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE
   DISTRICT 2
   (VOTE FOR ONE)

    

9. When there is a short-term election for an office, such as an office subject to being placed on the ballot because of a vacancy occurring in the middle of the term, beneath the title of each such office (or the line containing a district number if one is required), in boldface capital letters, an appropriate statement, such as, “UNEXPIRED TERM” shall be If there are two offices with the same office name, the long-term office shall precede the short-term office on the ballot. The second office shall be printed with “UNEXPIRED TERM” below the name of the office
10. For offices with a short-term and a long-term election for the same office name, and using “UNEXPIRED TERM” does not apply, the length of the term shall be printed, such as “ONE-YEAR TERM” and “TWO-YEAR TERM”. The longer-term office must precede the shorter-term office on the This situation is rare but does occur, such as when a newly created special district board is elected (see 7-34-2118 MCA).

    Example:
    FOR HOSPITAL DISTRICT TRUSTEE (THREE-YEAR TERM)
    FOR HOSPITAL DISTRICT TRUSTEE (TWO-YEAR TERM)
    FOR HOSPITAL DISTRICT TRUSTEE (ONE-YEAR TERM)

     

11. For offices with a short-term and a long-term election for the same office name with multiple unexpired terms of different lengths, a term length shall be added with the UNEXPIRED The longer-term office must precede the shorter-term office on the ballot.

    Example:
    FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER
    FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER (UNEXPIRED FOUR-YEAR TERM)
    FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER (UNEXPIRED TWO-YEAR TERM)

     

12. Offices for Party Precinct Committee (13-38-201, MCA) only appear on the Federal Primary Election Ballot.
13. There are differences in how Nonpartisan races are ordered and how political party designations are placed on the ballot between a Primary election and a General See Sections B and C.

8. Candidates

1. After the printed office title and “VOTE FOR” as described above, shall be printed the names of the certified candidate(s) for the office in all capital
2. A designated voting area shall be printed immediately to the left of each name.
3. The names of the candidates for each office on the ballot shall be listed alphabetically as to surname beneath the office titles and rotated in the manner prescribed by 13-12-205, The names of all candidates shall be printed with the surname last.
4. Candidate names may not include a title, accomplishment, award, or degree per 13-12-203(3), MCA.
5. The names of all candidates to appear on the ballots must be in the same typestyle and font size.
6. For partisan General elections, a party designation in all capital letters shall be placed indented and underneath the candidate’s The party designation may be in a slightly smaller font size; however, it must be readable, and the same font and size for this designation must be used for all candidates.

9.        Special Rules for Presidential and Gubernatorial Candidates

1. For Presidential Preference Primary Elections:
   
   1. The office title shall be “PRESIDENT”.
   2. There is no vice-presidential candidate printed on the
   3. A designated voting area followed by “NO PREFERENCE” shall be printed on the ballot underneath the list of candidates. “NO PREFERENCE” shall be printed in the same typestyle and font size as the other The position of the “NO PREFERENCE” line is NOT rotated like other candidates
   4. A write-in line and designated voting area will be printed on the ballot underneath the “NO PREFERENCE” line even if no write-in candidates have filed.
2. For Presidential General Elections:
   
   1. The office title that shall be printed on the ballot is “PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT”.
   2. The “VOTE FOR” designation is “VOTE IN ONE OVAL”
   3. Names of presidential and vice-presidential candidates shall be progressively printed down the The names shall be listed as to the surname of the presidential candidate and rotated in the manner prescribed by 13-12-205, MCA. The names of all candidates shall be printed with the surname last. The words “[INSERT NAME OF POLITICAL PARTY] FOR PRESIDENT” and “[INSERT NAME OF POLITICAL PARTY] FOR VICE PRESIDENT” shall be indented and printed after the name of the respective candidates, and a designated voting area shall be printed immediately to the left of the name of each party’s candidates for president.
   4. If there are filed write-in candidates, two blank spaces, indicated by write-in lines, with one designated voting area to the left of the first line, shall be printed below the names of the candidates for president and vice president. Below the first blank line, in capital letters, shall be indented and printed “FOR PRESIDENT”. The words “FOR VICE PRESIDENT” shall be similarly indented and printed below the second blank line.
3. For Governor/Lt. Governor Elections:
   
   1. The office title that shall be printed on the ballot is “GOVERNOR & GOVERNOR”.
   2. The “VOTE FOR” designation is “VOTE IN ONE OVAL”
   3. A designated voting area shall be printed immediately to the left of thename of each candidate for Governor.
   4. Below the name of each candidate for governor shall be indented and printed in capital letters the words “FOR GOVERNOR” and below the name of each candidate for Governor shall be indented and printed in capital letters the words “FOR LT. GOVERNOR”
   5. If write-in candidates have filed, two blank write-in lines and designated voting areas shall be The first write-in line shall have “FOR GOVERNOR” indented and printed underneath it, and the second write-in line shall have “FOR LT. GOVERNOR” indented and printed underneath it.
   6. For the General Election, party designations will be added to the The words “[INSERT NAME OF POLITICAL PARTY] FOR GOVERNOR” and “[INSERT NAME OF POLITICAL PARTY] FOR VICE LT. GOVERNOR” shall be indented and printed under the name of the respective candidates

10.  Write-in Candidates

1. Only if an office has a filed write-in candidate or a write-in line is required by statute, shall a write-in line be printed below the last candidate for the office.
   
   1. A write-in line is required by 13-10-403 MCA in a Presidential Preference
   2. A write-in line is required by 20-15-220 MCA for Community College Trustee
2. A designated voting area shall be printed immediately to the left of each write-in line.
3. For an office that has multiple positions up for election (e.g., “VOTE FOR TWO”), write-in lines shall be printed for each filed write-in candidate up to the limit of the positions For example, if a “VOTE FOR TWO” office has one filed write-in, only one write-in line is required to be printed. If the same “VOTE FOR TWO” office had instead three filed write-in candidates, then only two write-in lines would be printed.

11. Ballot Issues

1. If necessary, following the line below the names and spaces for the last candidate office, the words “BALLOT ISSUES” shall be printed in boldface capital letters, with a line extending the entire width of the column below the
2. Any required Statewide ballot issues shall follow the subheading, in the relative order prescribed in 13-12-207(4), MCA, and in the sequence certified by the Secretary of State.
3. Any local ballot issues will follow Statewide ballot issues in the order designated by the election administrator.
4. Required Ballot issues titles will be printed in bold with the instructions “(VOTE IN ONE OVAL)” placed on a line underneath the
5. A blank link will be printed underneath the “(VOTE IN ONE OVAL)” instructions, followed by the text of the ballot question, and any other required ballot issue language.
6. Beneath the ballot issue language, a blank line shall be printed to separate the ballot issue text from the YES and NO After the blank line, shall be printed in capital letters, “YES on [insert statement from certified ballot language]” and below these words shall be printed, also in capital letters, “NO on [insert statement from certified ballot language]”. Each of the above phrases shall have a designated voting area to the left of them.
7. See 13-27-213, MCA, for the required YES and NO statements for Statewide ballot See Senate Bill 11 (new section 4(6) on page 3), passed by the 2025 Legislature, for the required YES and NO statements for most local ballot issues. If there is a more specific statutory requirement for the YES and NO statements for a local ballot issue, then those statements will be used. An example of a more specific requirement is found in 20-9-426, MCA.
8. Abbreviated language for ballot issues is not allowed, and the ballot language must be the language certified by the Secretary of State in the case of statewide ballot issues, or in the case of local ballot issues, the language as provided in the resolution passed by the local governing body or in the certified local ballot issue petition.
9. For any statewide ballot issues, first shall come the name/number of the issue, second the title of the issue, and then the method of placement on the ballot, all as certified by the Secretary of State. This will be followed by the words “(VOTE IN ONE OVAL)” and then a blank line. The ballot issue language and the fiscal impact statement, as prescribed by legislative action or the Attorney General and certified by the Secretary of State, shall be printed underneath the blank line.

12. Official Ballot Marking

1. As required by 13-13-116 and 13-12-202, MCA, the words “OFFICIAL BALLOT” shall be placed on the ballot in a location without part of the mark appearing on the ballot stub.
2. The placement, typestyle, font size, and color of the words shall be determined by the election These words can be printed on the ballot by a printing press, stamp, or other means. The minimum font size for the words is 10 points.
3. The words “OFFICIAL” and “BALLOT” in the Ballot Title do not fulfill this requirement.

13.  Ballot Correction (13-12-204, MCA)

13-12-204. Method of correction of ballot. If an appointment has been made to replace a candidate, as provided in 13-10-326, 13-10-327, or 13-10-328, or if a candidate for lieutenant governor has been advanced to the candidacy for governor, as provided in 13-10-328, after the ballots have been prepared but before the election, the election administrator may:

1. correct the ballot in a manner consistent with rules adopted under 13-12-202;
2. have the entire ballot redone; or
3. have a separate ballot prepared only for the office for which the new candidate is a candidate.

14.  Deviation

1. The Ballot Layout Guide must be followed when designing and printing Any substantive deviation from the guide must be approved by the Secretary of State’s office in writing before producing the ballot.

B. Primary Election Ballot Requirements

1. Ballot Title

1. The ballot title shall be “OFFICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOT – {NAME OF PARTY} PARTY”

2. Primary Ballot Creation

1. A primary ballot shall be created and prepared for each political party as prescribed by 13-10-209,

3. Nonpartisan Primary Ballots

1. For a Federal Primary election, the Partisan primary offices and Nonpartisan primary offices shall normally be printed together on the same
2. For a Federal Primary election, the Nonpartisan portion of the ballot shall be printed after all the partisan offices on the ballot and before any ballot issues. The subheading placed before the nonpartisan portion will be “NONPARTISAN-STATE” for state-level nonpartisan offices and “NONPARTISAN-COUNTY” for those county offices that are If a county also has nonpartisan municipal offices for the ballot, then the subheading will be “NONPARTISAN-MUNICIPAL”.
3. If there is a need for a physically separate Nonpartisan Primary ballot, then:
   
   1. The title shall be “OFFICIAL NONPARTISAN PRIMARY BALLOT” and then immediately beneath shall appear the name of the county and a comma followed by “MONTANA”, followed by a hyphen and the date of the election on the same line or the next Below the words, a line shall extend the width of the sheet, less the margins.
   2. There is no need to print “NONPARTISAN” after each candidate’s name
   3. The requirement of Section A in this guide applies to a separate Nonpartisan primary ballot.

C. General Election Ballot Requirements

1. Ballot Title

1. The ballot title shall be “OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT”

2. Offices

1. Nonpartisan offices shall be printed and combined with partisan offices per the order designated in 13-12-207, The offices shall be placed under the appropriate subheading.
2. A Nonpartisan office subheading is not used in the General

3. Candidates

1. For partisan General elections, a party designation in all capital letters shall be placed, indented, underneath the candidate’s The party designation may be in a slightly smaller font size; however, it must be readable, and the same font and size must be used for all candidates.
2. For nonpartisan offices, the words printed, indented, underneath the names of each candidate shall be “NONPARTISAN”. The designation shall be printed in the same typestyle and format as the party designations for partisan

4.  Judicial Offices

1. If an incumbent judicial candidate has no opposition, the retention language prescribed in 13-14-212, MCA, and designated below, shall be
2. For Judicial Retention races, the words “FOR <Judicial Position>” shall be printed in Beneath these words shall be printed, in boldface capital letters, the words “(VOTE IN ONE OVAL)”. Beneath these words shall be printed a blank line followed by the retention question. Following the retention question shall be printed the words “YES” and “NO” with a designated voting area to the left of each word.

   Example:
   FOR DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
   DISTRICT 1, DEPT 1
   (VOTE IN ONE OVAL)

   Shall Judge HG WELLS of DISTRICT 1, DEPT 1 of the state of Montana be retained in office for another term?

⃝ YES

⃝ NO

D. Municipal Ballot Requirements

1. Primary Ballot

1. The ballot title shall be “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOT”.
2. If the ballot is being combined with other special district elections, then the title may be modified to “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL PRIMARY AND <NAME OF SPECIAL DISTRICT> ELECTION BALLOT” or “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL PRIMARY AND SPECIAL DISTRICT<S> ELECTION BALLOT”. The decision to add the special district name(s) to the ballot title or designate that there may be multiple special district elections in the title is up to the election administrator.

2. General Ballot

1. The ballot title shall be “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT”.
2. If all of the offices on the ballot are nonpartisan, then the ballot title shall be “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL GENERAL NONPARTISAN ELECTION BALLOT”.
3. If the ballot is being combined with other special district elections, then the title may be modified to “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL GENERAL AND <NAME OF SPECIAL DISTRICT> ELECTION BALLOT” or “OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL GENERAL AND SPECIAL DISTRICT<S> ELECTION BALLOT”. The decision to add the special district name(s) to the ballot title or designate that there may be multiple special district elections in the title is up to the election administrator.

3. Ballot Format, Offices, and Candidates

1. Ballots for Municipal elections will follow the Ballot Format Requirements as described in Section A of this guide.
2. If all of the offices on the municipal general election ballot are nonpartisan, then the nonpartisan designation underneath each candidate shall not be

4. Judicial Offices

1. If an incumbent judicial candidate has no opposition, the retention language prescribed in 13-14-212, MCA, and the format as described in Section 4 of this guide shall be used.

E. Special District Ballot Requirements

1. Ballot Format

1. Special District ballot shall follow the Ballot Format Requirements as described in Section A of this guide in conjunction with any specific ballot requirements specified in statute for that special district election.
2. Special Districts include School elections as described in Title 20 of the Montana Code Annotated and any other election held per the requirements in Title 13.

2. Ballot Title

1. The title shall be “OFFICIAL {GENERAL DISTRICT OR SPECIAL DISTRICT} ELECTION BALLOT”.
2. If the ballot is being combined with other special district elections, then the title may be modified to “OFFICIAL <NAME OF SPECIAL DISTRICT>, AND <NAME OF SPECIAL DISTRICT> ELECTION BALLOT” or “OFFICIAL SCHOOL AND SPECIAL DISTRICT ELECTION<S> BALLOT”. The decision to add the special district name(s) to the ballot title or designate that there may be multiple special district elections in the title is up to the election administrator.

F. Order of Offices

1. In a partisan primary election, all partisan offices are placed on the ballot before all nonpartisan offices, following as much as possible the order in 13-12-207,
2. In a general election, partisan and nonpartisan offices are placed on the ballot as listed in 13-12-207, MCA.

13-12-207.     Order of placement.

1. The order on the ballot for state and federal offices must be as follows:
   
   1. If the election is in a year in which a president of the United States is to be elected, in spaces separated from the balance of the party tickets by a line must be the names and spaces for voting for candidates for president and vice The names of candidates for president and vice president for each political party must be grouped together.
   2. United States senator;United States representative;
   3. governor and lieutenant governor;
   4. secretary of state;
   5. attorney general;
   6. state auditor;
   7. state superintendent of public instruction;
   8. public service commissioners;
   9. clerk of the supreme court;
   10. chief justice of the supreme court;
   11. justices of the supreme court;
   12. district court judges;
   13. state senators;
   14. members of the Montana house of representatives.

        

2. The following order of placement must be observed for county offices:
   
   1. clerk of the district court;
   2. county commissioner;
   3. county clerk and recorder;
   4. sheriff;
   5. coroner;
   6. county attorney;
   7. county superintendent of schools;
   8. county auditor;
   9. public administrator;
   10. county assessor;
   11. county treasurer;
   12. surveyor;
   13. justice of the peace.

        

3. The secretary of state shall designate the order for placement on the ballot of any offices not on the above lists, except that the election administrator shall designate the order of placement for municipal, charter, or consolidated local government offices and district offices when the district is part of only one

    

4. Constitutional amendments must be placed before statewide referendum and initiative Ballot issues for a county, municipality, school district, or other political subdivision must follow statewide measures in the order designated by the election administrator.

    

5. If any offices are not to be elected they may not be listed, but the order of the offices to be filled must be maintained.

    

6. If there is a short-term and a long-term election for the same office, the long-term office must precede the short-term. 

G. Voter Interface Device Ballot Requirements

1. Certified Voter Interface Devices (VID) may produce a ballot that is not a Standard Ballot in size and This ballot is called a “Voter Interface Device Ballot”, “VID Ballot Card”, or can be simply known as a “ballot card”.

2. All rules and requirements of a standard ballot described in this guide or elsewhere in statute and administrative rule apply to VID Ballot Cards except for ballot The ballot on the VID menus (visual and audio) must follow the same requirements and conventions as standard ballots, as modified to be used on the device.

3. The order of offices and candidate names on the VID ballot must match the order and appearance for the corresponding standard ballot used for corresponding precinct/split.

4. The VID Ballot Card may or may not have attached If stubs are used, the VID Ballot Card is issued and processed just like a Standard ballot. If the VID Ballot Card does not have attached stubs, the ballot card is handled and processed as outlined in the current Election Handbook.

5. The printed voted VID ballot card must show the following information:
   
   1. The county;
   2. “Montana”;
   3. The election title;
   4. The date of the
   5. The precinct name and split (if used);
   6. For a partisan primary election ballot only, an indication of which party ballot was voted; and
   7. The choice of candidates selected by the voter for each voted

6. The elector’s choices must be printed on the VID Ballot Card so the elector can confirm the ballot’s accuracy and so the ballot may be manually

8. Voter instructions must be provided on the introductory menus on the
9. For VID Ballot Cards, compliance with 13-13-116(1), MCA, is completed by including the words “OFFICIAL BALLOT” in the election title printed by the VID.
   
   Example Layout – VID Ballot
   

H. Federal Primary Election Ballot Example

I. Federal General Election Ballot Example