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Voting history · Montana

Montana

A dated list of changes to how Americans vote: district maps, polling places and drop boxes, voting laws and rules, and courts and election officials. Each entry says who did what and when, shows what became of it, and links to the page it rests on. Attempts that failed are listed as failed. Entries that rest on a news report name the outlet.

This is the state view: events recorded for Montana, then national events that apply here. See the national timeline.

Congressional districts in Montana

Choose a district to see the events tagged to it. A number after the district is how many events name it.

Kind of event
Decade

In Montana

2021

  1. Nov 12, 2021 State Maps and lines Enacted

    Districting commission approves Montana's first two-district congressional map

    On Friday, November 12, 2021, the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission approved two congressional districts for Montana. In November 2022 Montanans elected two representatives for the first time, according to the Legislature's newsletter.

    Congressional districts named: MT-1, MT-2

    Source last checked Oct 20, 2026

2000

  1. Mar 24, 2000 County Maps and lines Settled

    Consent decree moves Roosevelt County, Montana, commission to single-member districts

    On March 24, 2000, the Justice Department filed a complaint against Roosevelt County, Montana (D. Mont.), alleging that the at-large method of election for the county commission diluted American Indian voting strength in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Simultaneously with the filing, the court approved a consent decree providing for the election of the three commissioners from three single-member districts, one of which is majority-Indian.

    Source last checked Oct 24, 2026

1999

  1. 1999 County Maps and lines Decided by a court

    Court rules Blaine County, Montana, at-large commission elections violated Section 2; Ninth Circuit affirms

    The Justice Department's complaint (D. Mont., listed as filed in 1999) alleged that the at-large method of election for the Blaine County Commission violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because it denied Native American residents an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The district court rejected the county's constitutional challenge to Section 2, held after trial that the plan violated Section 2 and ordered a remedial plan. The Ninth Circuit affirmed both findings in a decision reported at 363 F.3d 897 (2004).

    Source last checked Oct 24, 2026

Nationwide

2026

  1. Sep 10, 2026 National Maps and lines Proposed

    Census Bureau proposes residence criteria for the 2030 census that would exclude some noncitizens from the apportionment count

    On September 10, 2026 the Census Bureau, an agency of the Department of Commerce, published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (91 FR 57524, Docket No. 260903-0005, RIN 0607-AA75) that would add two new parts to the Code of Federal Regulations: residence criteria for the decennial census, and standards and restrictions for demographic questions on the census questionnaire. On residence, the notice states that "the Census Bureau proposes to include lawful permanent residents within the apportionment base, while excluding from the apportionment base illegal aliens and aliens whose legal status is less durable and indefinite in length than lawful permanent resident status," and says it is considering using administrative records to determine legal status. The comment period, first set to end October 13, 2026, was extended to November 2, 2026 by a notice published October 5, 2026. Al Jazeera and CNBC reported on the proposal, and CNBC reported that opponents expect litigation.

    Source last checked Oct 22, 2026

2021

  1. Aug 12, 2021 National Maps and lines Settled

    Census Bureau releases 2020 redistricting data for states

    On August 12, 2021, the Census Bureau released the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which it described as delivering data for states to begin redistricting. On September 16, 2021, it released the same data in an easier-to-use format on data.census.gov and delivered a toolkit to states.

    Source last checked Oct 22, 2026

  2. Apr 26, 2021 National Maps and lines Settled

    Census Bureau announces 2020 Census apportionment results

    On April 26, 2021, the Census Bureau announced that the 2020 Census resident population of the United States on April 1, 2020 was 331,449,281, and that Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo delivered the population counts used for apportionment of the U.S. House to the President.

    Source last checked Oct 20, 2026

1967

  1. Dec 14, 1967 National Maps and lines Enacted

    Congress requires single-member congressional districts (Public Law 90-196)

    Public Law 90-196, approved December 14, 1967, provides that in each state entitled to more than one Representative "there shall be established by law a number of districts equal to the number of Representatives to which such State is so entitled," with "no district to elect more than one Representative."

    Source last checked Oct 20, 2026

How this timeline is built

Every entry rests on at least one source that was opened and read, and that source states the date and the fact. Courts, legislatures, election offices, the Justice Department, the Census Bureau, the Federal Register and Congress.gov come first. A news report is used only when no official page states the fact, and it is labeled with the outlet's name. Encyclopedias are not used as sources. History starts in 1965 with the Voting Rights Act. County names come from the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer. Congressional district numbers are those in use for the 2026 election; an event is tagged to a district only when its source names that congressional district.

When a later event changes an earlier one, such as a law later struck down, both entries are listed and point to each other. This page does not predict outcomes or say which party a change helps. U.S. House maps for 2026 · Back to the 2026 voting center.