Registration counts: Voter Count · Updated November 14, 2026

Montana Voter Registration

& Party Affiliation Statistics

Total Registered

749,048

Most Active Primary Party

Republican (44.5%)

Independent / NPP

29.07%

Primary Type

State:Open Primary

Pres:Closed Primary

Overview Registration Primary Rules Turnout

All data provided by

(opens votercount.ai in a new tab)

The only AI tool connected to L2’s industry-leading national voter file.

Ask about any county, age group, or district in Montana, in plain English, and get answers in seconds.

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At a Glance

Montana at a Glance

Key voter registration statistics · Updated 2026

Registered Voters

749,048

across 56 counties

Independent / NPP

217.7K

29.07% of registered

2024 Turnout

68.4%

of eligible voters

Montana's least partisan county (50,000+ voters): Missoula (modeled; Montana voters don't register by party)

39.31% of voters in Missoula County have no modeled party lean, compared with 29.07% across Montana. That's the highest share of any Montana county with at least 50,000 voters. Montana doesn't register voters by party, so these figures are modeled.

Answered directly from the voter file with Voter Count

Primary Participation

Primary Ballot Participation by Party

Montana does not register voters by party. The breakdown below is modeled from recent primary ballot history.

26.4%

44.5%

29.1%

Democratic26.4%

Republican44.5%

Independent29.1%

Other0.0%

Party	Registered Voters	% of Total
Democratic	197,946	26.4%
Republican	333,357	44.5%
Independent	217,745	29.1%
Other	0	0.0%

Note: Montana does not collect party affiliation at voter registration. These figures are modeled from L2 voter-file analysis of which primary ballot each voter pulled in recent cycles — they reflect primary participation, not party registration.

Primary Rules

How Montana's Primary Works

Montana uses different primary rules for state/congressional and presidential elections

State / Congressional

⚖

Open Primary

Any registered voter can vote in any party's primary, regardless of their own party affiliation or registration status.

How It Works

On election day, voters choose which party's ballot they want. They don't need to be registered with that party. In most open primary states, this choice is made privately at the polling place.

IVP's Position

Better than closed primaries, but still forces voters to pick a party's ballot rather than voting for the best candidate regardless of party.

See all primary systems by state →

Presidential

⚖

Closed Primary

Only voters registered with a political party can vote in that party's primary election. Independent and unaffiliated voters are excluded.

How It Works

Voters must register with a party, often weeks or months before the election, to participate. If you're registered as independent or unaffiliated, you cannot vote in either major party's primary.

IVP's Position

Closed primaries lock millions of independent voters out of the elections that matter most. In many districts, the primary is the only competitive election.

See all primary systems by state →

Turnout

Voter Turnout in Montana

How many eligible Montana residents actually vote?

Recent Elections

Election	Turnout	Voted
2024 General	68.4%	612,423
2022 General	53.3%	468,326
2020 General	71.3%	612,075
2024 Presidential Primary	25.1%	182,248

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All data provided by

(opens votercount.ai in a new tab)

The only AI tool connected to L2’s industry-leading national voter file.

Ask about any county, age group, or district in Montana, in plain English, and get answers in seconds.

Try it for yourself(opens votercount.ai in a new tab)