Following recent U.S. Census data, the State of Montana Districting and Appointment Commission is responsible for ensuring that each house district has equal representation every ten years. According to 2020 Census data, Montana has a population of 1,084,225 people. This is an increase of 94,810 new people since the 2010 Census. Since the Montana House of Representatives currently has 100 representatives, each of the 100 districts must be divided evenly by population. Senate districts are required by the state constitution to be composed of two contiguous house districts. Each of the 50 senate districts must be divided evenly by population. The Commission held public meetings in fall 2022 and accepts public comment. You can see the proposed maps on the Commission's website.

At the county level, county commissioners, in coordination with election administrators, must adopt new precinct* boundaries based on the number of registered voters and must also keep in mind the number of precincts for each district.

Once the house district lines are adopted at the legislative level in Helena, election administrators will have 45 days to redraw and adopt precinct boundary lines. Voters may see a change in the number of precincts, precinct name or polling place because of these changes. In the months following, the Missoula County Elections Office will inform voters of the changes and mail out new voter registration cards to all active voters if they are affected by a change. The 2024 election cycle will be the first-time voters see the impact of new precincts and house districts. Voters may see their polling place change in 2024.

*A precinct is a territorial unit for elections. This unit is a subsection of an approved Montana House District as established by the Redistricting Commission. A precinct is used by political parties to elect precinct committee members. They are also a basis for a ballot style in a federal election, and a ballot style is used to ensure proper ballot rotation. Ballot rotation ensures that multiple candidates in the same race have their name listed at the top of the contest an equal number of times. A precinct may be divided into two or more polling locations.

Additional Resources

• Montana Districting & Appointment Commission Website
• Legislature Redistricting Commission
• 2020 Census Data

Timeline

• 10^th Legislative Day (Friday, Jan. 13, 2023): Last day for the Redistricting Commission to submit a plan to the legislature.
• Within 30 days of submission: Legislature must return plan to the Commission with recommendations.
• Within 30 days of the return from the legislature: The Commission must act on the recommendations, if desired, and file the plan with the Montana Secretary of State. The plan then becomes law and the Commission dissolves.
• Within 90 days* of the filing of the plan: Counties must change precinct boundaries.
• Within 30 days of the first election (2024 primary election): Polling places must be established by assigning precincts to polling locations. A precinct can be split between multiple polling places.

*2023 legislature increased this timeframe from 45 days to 90 days after the redistricting process was completed.

Missoula County Updates

• 2024 Preliminary Precincts Adopted - Adopted in April 2024
• 2024 Proposed Polling Locations and Final Adjustments - Presented in August 2023

• Interactive Precinct/Polling Place Map

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