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Montana State University Billings

Voting and Elections in Montana : Being an Informed Voter

Learn how to register to vote, check your registration status, and election information for the State of Montana.

White red and blue text saying Read. Think. Vote. surrounded by red white and blue stars

Polls

From the national races to the local ones, elections move fast. Staying up-to-date on the latest polling numbers is important and can help identify key issues. It empowers voters to make informed decisions and can hold candidates accountable.

 

  • Project 538
    Taking its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college, Project 538 focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and more. Users are able to look at polls and data from various elections across the country. Originally created by statistician Nate Silver, Project 358 was obtained by ABC News in 2018.
     
  • 270 To Win
    270 to Win is a nonpartisan site for people passionate about politics. They aggregate polls and professional election projections, from the White House to the House of Representatives, the Senate, and gubernatorial elections. 270toWin is independent, not financed or owned by any political party, industry group or lobbyist.

Ballots

Knowing what is on an election ballot is an important part of being an empowered and informed voter. Understanding the candidates, initiatives, propositions, and other measures allows voters to align their values and priorities with their choices, ensuring that their voices are represented.

 

  • Ballotpedia
    Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan political encyclopedia. It covers federal, state, and local politics, as well as elections and public policy in the United States. Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup, gives users a chance to put in their address and look at upcoming elections sample ballots from the federal level all the way down to local elections.
     
  • Montana Secretary of State, Ballot Issue Overview
    The office of the Montana Secretary of State is in charge of voting within the state of Montana, from registering to vote to running smooth elections. On the Ballot Issue Overview page you can view proposed ballot measures and where they are in the process of being qualified to end up on election ballots.

 

Fact Checking

In an age of misinformation, fact-checking serves as a crucial safeguard against manipulation. It helps uphold the principles of transparency and informed decision-making in democratic processes.

 

  • FactCheck.org
    A nonpartisan, nonprofit “advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
     
  • All Sides
    Devoted to balanced news from the Left, Center and Right of the political spectrum and providing media bias ratings for over 1,400 media outlets and writers. All Sides presents news with diverse perspectives and a focus on real conversation.
     
  • Open Secrets
    Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, OpenSecrets is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.

Montana News

Staying up to date on local news is a great way to know what is happening in your community. In Montana there are many great resources for local, regional, and national news here are some of our favorites.

 

  • Daily Montanan
    A member of States Newsroom, the Daily Montanan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan source for trusted news, commentary and insight into statewide policy and politics in Montana.
     
  • Montana Free Press
    Based out of Helena and established in 2016, Montana Free Press is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit source for Montana news, information, and analysis.
     
  • Billings Gazette
    The daily newspaper based out of Billings, Montana, that primarily covers issues in southeast Montana and parts of northern Wyoming.
     
  • Yellowstone Public Radio
    Yellowstone Public Radio provides in-depth news, public affairs, and cultural programming to a general adult audience in Montana and northern Wyoming. YPR is a service of MSU Billings and is an affiliate of National Public Radio.
     
  • Montana Public Radio
    Montana Public Radio is a public service of the University of Montana and  is a media network serving western and central Montana and beyond. Montana Public Radio is an affiliate of National Public Radio.