Your ballot, explained.
Three statewide ballot issues: nonpartisan judge elections (CI-132), the right to ballot initiatives (CI-133) and corporate political spending (I-194) in the official words, the candidates on the Secretary of State's official candidate list. U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, district court, state Senate and state House candidates are from the Secretary of State's full official candidate list (all 272 entries, exported October 15, 2026). Three House candidates are listed as withdrawn and are left out. Your ballot is the final word. Four write-in candidates on the list (U.S. Senate, State Senate Districts 9 and 22) are left out. The regular registration deadline, absentee return date and poll hours are not confirmed from an official page, so they are not listed. Fiscal notes and the Voter Information Pamphlet are not checked. County and local races are on your sample ballot. No endorsements. Every claim links to its source.
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Heard this? Here are the facts
Each claim gets a plain status: True, False, or Promised, not law.
- Heard this? "You need a driver's license to vote in Montana." False
The facts: No. For in-person voting, votemt.gov lists a driver's license or REAL ID, a Montana state ID card, a military ID, a tribal photo ID, a U.S. passport, a Montana concealed carry permit, or a Montana University System or NAIA photo ID. If you have none of these, the page lists other things to bring (a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check, or a government document showing your name and current address). If you can't show any, it says to contact your county election official about provisional voting. source: votemt.gov (Montana elections) - Heard this? "It's too late to register for the November 3 election." False
The facts: The Secretary of State's votemt.gov page lists late registration through Tuesday, November 3 and says "Registration ends at 8 p.m." It says to contact your election office for more information. source: votemt.gov (Montana elections) - Heard this? "You'll get $5,000 after the election." Promised, not law
The facts: On Sept. 9, 2026 the President promised every adult $5,000, a "Trump Dividend", if Republicans keep both the House and the Senate. It is a campaign promise that depends on the election results; no law or payment exists today. Congress would have to pass it, and AP estimates it would cost over $1 trillion. Is this legal? Experts disagree. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, wrote: "No, Mr. President you can't offer voters $5000 if the Republicans win the House and Senate." Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner called it a completed crime under the federal vote-buying law (18 U.S.C. 597). Election attorney John Day told AP it is legal because it would go to everyone regardless of how they vote: "This is a campaign promise." Rice University political scientist Mark Jones: "It's unsavory, but it's legal." Your ballot is secret, so no payment can depend on how you personally vote. source: kold.com source: internazionale.it source: newsweek.com source: ibtimes.co.uk source: katv.com - Heard this? "Someone can legally pay you to vote, or to vote a certain way." False
The facts: No. Paying or offering to pay anyone to vote or to register to vote in a federal election is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 10307(c)). Accepting the payment is a crime too. source: law.cornell.edu - Heard this? "The $1 million-a-day giveaway in 2024 paid people for voting." False
The facts: That contest was open only to registered voters in seven swing states, and entering meant signing a petition, not voting. The group's lawyer told a Pennsylvania court the winners were "not chosen by chance". The judge let it continue. source: aljazeera.com
Checked against official sources, court records and news reports. We update this as new claims go around.
Key dates
- Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
- Late registration: votemt.gov says registration ends at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. Contact your county election office for where and how.
- INCOMPLETE: the regular registration deadline, when absentee ballots must be returned, and poll hours are not confirmed from an official page yet, so they are not listed. Call your county election office or check votemt.gov.
Dates from the votemt.gov late registration page . Check your registration and sample ballot on the Montana Voter Portal (registration status, polling place and sample ballot) .
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