Whitehall, Montana Public Records

The state offers same-day voter registration, allowing eligible residents to register and vote on Election Day at their polling place or local election office. To register, applicants must be U.S. Citizens, at least 18 years old by the next election, Montana and county residents for at least 30 days before the election, and not currently serving a sentence in a correctional facility for a felony conviction. Acceptable forms of ID include a Montana driver's license, state ID, tribal ID, or current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government document showing the voter's name and address. The Town of Whitehall does not hold separate municipal elections for mayor and town council on a fixed schedule; interested residents should contact Whitehall Town Hall at (406) 287-3521 for information about local town government election schedules and any upcoming local ballot measures or town council vacancies. Most electoral activity for local residents involves county, state, and federal races. Voters cast ballots at polling places assigned based on their residential address; they can look up their specific polling location by visiting https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/ and entering their name and date of birth, or by contacting the Jefferson County Elections Office. In the November 2024 general election, Jefferson County reported voter turnout of approximately 75-80%, consistent with Montana's historically high participation rates in presidential elections. Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 general election, area voters will decide several important races including Montana's U.S. Senate seat (Senator Steve Daines' term expires in 2027, so no Senate race in 2026, but voters should verify current election schedules), statewide offices that may include Governor if on cycle, Montana State Legislature seats for both the House and Senate (all 100 House seats and half of the 50 Senate seats are up every two years), and county offices such as County Commissioner, Sheriff, Clerk and Recorder, and other constitutional offices depending on the election cycle. Montana allows absentee voting by mail for any reason. Voters can request an absentee ballot by submitting a written request to the Jefferson County Elections Office, and ballots are mailed beginning approximately 30 days before Election Day. Completed absentee ballots must be received by 8:00 PM on Election Day. Montana election records that are public include voter registration lists (available for purchase for political purposes), campaign finance reports filed with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices at https://cers-ext.mt.gov, candidate filings and declarations, precinct-level election results, and election related meeting minutes. State law protects individual ballot secrecy but provides transparency for campaign contributions and expenditures.