Montanans flocked to the polls on Tuesday to vote in an election that has brought billions of dollars and extensive media attention to the state. President, U.S. House and Senate, governor, state lawmakers and three constitutional initiatives were on the ballot, including a measure that would, if passed, secure a right to abortion in the state constitution. The Beacon will provide live, up-to-date coverage as results come in. Find the full results on the Montana Secretary of State’s website.

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Montana Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Enshrining Abortion Rights

The ballot initiative sought to enshrine a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling

6.32 a.m. Montana voters chose to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitution. The ballot initiative sought to enshrine a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said the constitutional right to privacy protects the right to a pre-viability abortion by a provider of the patient’s choice. Though there’s no defined time frame, doctors say viability is sometime after 21 weeks. – Associated Press

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Trump Wins the White House in Political Comeback Rooted in Appeals to Frustrated Voters

In his second term, Trump has vowed to pursue an agenda centered on dramatically reshaping the federal government and pursuing retribution against his perceived enemies

6.27 a.m. Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. – Associated Press

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Republican Tim Sheehy Defeats Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester to Flip Montana U.S. Senate Seat 

Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, closely aligned his campaign with Donald Trump and leading conservatives while painting Tester as a corrupt Washington insider 

6.13 a.m. Republican Tim Sheehy bolstered the GOP’s Senate majority with a victory over three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in a contest of national importance that featured a record-setting torrent of spending by the two sides.

Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, closely aligned his campaign with Donald Trump and leading conservatives while painting Tester as a corrupt Washington insider. The Republican also promised to address the southern border crisis and curb government regulation..” – Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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Zinke Wins Reelection as Part of Republican Sweep 

Zinke said he looks forward to working with President Trump 

6 a.m. Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana won reelection to the House, again defeating challenger Monica Tranel. Zinke said he looks forward to working with President Trump and others to make gas and groceries affordable again.

“Montanans are hurting because the failed Democrat policies that have driven high inflation, low workforce participation, and high interest rates,” Zinke said in a statement. “Montana made it clear that enough is enough.” – Associated Press

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Montana Western House, Senate Race Too Close to Call at 11:30 p.m. 

No results had been reported from Flathead County as voters across the state continue to wait in long lines

Nov. 5, 2024 Montana’s U.S. Senate race and western U.S. House race were too close to call as of 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, with around 13% of precincts statewide reporting results.

Gathered with supporters at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke told reporters, “Montana, both the House and the Senate seat remain undecided. We’re feeling good. We’re outperforming where we should.”

Democrat Monica Tranel led Zinke by 2,947 votes at 11:30 p.m., however early returns from Missoula County gave an edge to the Democrats that is likely to shrink as results continue to come in.

Addressing supporters in Missoula on Tuesday night, Tranel said, “We’re gonna have a long night. We’re gonna have a long week. We won’t know anything for a while. And you know what? We have done our work.”

As temperatures dropped below freezing, hundreds of voters remained in line at the Gallatin County Courthouse, the heart of a Democratic stronghold in the state. At 8 p.m., the wait time to vote was estimated around 5 hours.

No results had been reported from Flathead County by 11:30 p.m.

Decision Desk HQ at 11:21 p.m. MT projected that former President Donald Trump would secure the presidency. – Denali Sagner 

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Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte Wins a Second Term Over Challenger Ryan Busse

The victory continues Republican control in a state where the GOP also enjoyed a supermajority in the state Legislature

Nov. 5, 2024 Gov. Greg Gianforte told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Bozeman that he was proud of what his administration has accomplished, including cutting taxes, balancing the state budget, expanding access to public lands and reducing the number of children in foster care.

“Four years ago I made two promises: First that we would create more good-paying jobs so we could stop exporting our kids, and second to protect our Montana way of life. And folks, we did just that,” Gianforte said. – Associated Press

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Donald Trump Wins Montana

Montana has gone to the Republican nominee for president in all but one election going back to 1968

Nov. 5, 2024 Former President Donald Trump won Montana for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding four electoral votes to his tally. Montana has one more electoral vote this cycle than it did in the previous two, as the state received an additional congressional seat following the 2020 census. Montana has gone to the Republican nominee for president in all but one election going back to 1968. – Associated Press

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High-turnout, High-consequence Election Could Spell a Late Night for Election Officials in Flathead County

With line times at the Flathead County Election Department averaging 3 hours throughout much of Election Day, results may not be ready until hours after polls close

Nov. 5, 2024 By the time the after-work rush began arriving in earnest at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, election workers had already been on duty for more than 10 hours, accommodating a steady procession of people trying to cast their vote on Election Day.

“It’s crazy. It’s been crazy all day,” Paula Buff, the Flathead County’s interim election administrator, said from behind a poll pad terminal. “We are experiencing very high turnout.”

That high-turnout volume had been building for weeks across Montana, with 425,000 absentee ballots from across the state having been marked as returned heading into Election Day. County election offices mailed absentee ballot packets to active, registered absentee voters on Oct. 11. That means more than 77% of all absentee ballots issued statewide had been returned heading into Election Day.

For context, a little over 612,000 total ballots were cast in the state’s 2020 general election. – Tristan Scott

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Glacier County Voters Experience Winter Storm, Registration Issues

Volunteers with the Democratic Party shuttled some Blackfeet voters to the polls in a pink Hummer Limousine

Nov. 5, 2024 Voters in Glacier County, home of the Blackfeet Nation, reported issues with voter registration and absentee ballots as residents headed to the polls amid a winter storm.

Patrick Yawakie, founder of Red Medicine LLC, a political consulting firm that works with tribal nations, said voters were facing multi-hour lines, missing absentee ballots and inaccurate registration. Multiple voters he spoke to had registered to vote, but were told they were “inactive” or absent from the county’s system when they arrived at their polling place.

“What we’re experiencing right now is a lot of inaccuracies about the election office not accurately registering people,” Yawakie said.

Yawakie said lines had been “steadily long,” and that wait times were exacerbated by confusion with the registration process.

Browning, Heart Butte and Cut Bank are under a winter weather advisory until 11 p.m., which has complicated Election Day in a rural county where voters can drive hours to reach a polling place.

Volunteers with the Montana Democratic Party shuttled some Browning voters to the polls in a pink Hummer Limousine today.

Despite administrative issues, Western Native Voice Communications Director Tracie Garfield said her office is optimistic about Native turnout this election. A nonprofit that works to increase Native voting access, Western Native Voice has been laying the groundwork for increasing Indigenous turnout for months, Garfield said. She expects Montana’s tribal communities will exceed their 2020 turnout.

 “CSKT and Fort Belknap are crushing it,” Garfield said. “We’ve been making a lot of phone calls today.”

Native Americans are a critical voting bloc in Montana, making up around 7% of the state’s population. – Denali Sagner

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Long Lines for Voter Registration at County Election Office

Flathead County residents can register to vote up until 8 p.m. tonight

Nov. 5, 2024, 7:15 p.m. In the final hour before polls close, the line outside the Flathead County Election Department continues to stretch to Idaho Street, where people are waiting around 2 hours to register to vote. – Maggie Dresser

3:15 p.m. The line is stretching around the block at the Flathead County Election Department, where individuals are waiting around 3.5 hours to register to vote. Flathead County residents can register to vote up until 8 p.m. tonight. Check your voter registration, find your polling place or track your absentee ballot here. – Denali Sagner

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Despite Minor Technical Glitches, Whitefish Election Volunteers and Observers Report ‘Smooth Sailing’

In addition to the poll workers assisting voters Tuesday, the nonpartisan Montana Election Observation Initiative recruited volunteers to monitor various local election procedures.

Nov. 5, 2024 Poll workers volunteering at the Whitefish Armory on Tuesday morning reported a busy but efficient start to Election Day as they fielded questions and helped voters look up their precincts from a kiosk stand of iPads, with each tablet programmed with electronic pollbooks containing a list of eligible voters in Flathead County and their voting districts.

“So far it’s been really smooth sailing,” according to poll worker Irene Stephanie Dupont. “We haven’t had any big rushes or long lines.”

But there was one small factor complicating matters for voters trying to cast ballots at the Whitefish Armory, which is one of 11 Flathead County polling places accommodating in-person voting during the general election — they were struggling to bypass the computer-generated CAPTCHA quizzes required to access their information on the e-pollbooks. Although the CAPTCHA program is designed to protect websites against bots, voters using the available tablets on Tuesday encountered images that were often too pixelated or difficult to read.

“How many bicycles? I don’t see any bicycles,” complained one man stooping over the device, while others struggled to distinguish a bus from a train. – Tristan Scott

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‘Steady Stream’ of Voters Cast Ballots at Flathead County Fairgrounds

Voters are also casting ballots in Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Bigfork, Lakeside, Marion, Martin City and Smith Valley

Nov. 5, 2024, 7:15 p.m. A steady flow of voters continues to circulate the fairgrounds where Flathead County Interim Election Manager Paula Buff said the voter turnout appears to be high.

“I don’t know how anything can compare to this election,” Buff said. “Any presidential election is going to have a higher turnout than just a midterm election, but I think this is definitely one for the books. I think we’ve had an incredible showing.”

11:14 a.m. Election workers at the Flathead County Fairgrounds described a “steady stream” of voters dropping off absentee ballots and casting their vote in person around 10 a.m.

“When we got here earlier there was a line all the way back. It has been a steady stream since then,” volunteer Jesse Tucker, who was collecting absentee ballots outside of the fairgrounds, the county’s largest polling site, said.

“It’s been nonstop people, whether they’re going in to vote or dropping off ballots,” Nicole Thiessen, also a volunteer, said.

Voters are also casting ballots at three locations in Whitefish, Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork, the Columbia Falls Senior Center, the Lakeside QRU and the Martin City, Bad Rock (Columbia Falls), Marion, Martin City and Smith Valley fire halls.

In the fairgrounds parking lot and at the intersection of Two Mile Drive and North Meridian, nearly a dozen representatives from Congressman Ryan Zinke’s reelection campaign, as well as opponents of abortion initiative CI-128, waved signs and handed out literature to voters.

Liz Khmelev, a volunteer handing out literature in opposition to CI-128 said voters have been “pretty darn receptive” to her message. – Denali Sagner

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Gianforte and Zinke Seek to Continue Republican Dominance in Montana Elections

Gianforte is favored for reelection over a political newcomer, while Zinke faces a stiffer challenge from a veteran campaigner

Nov. 5, 2024 In the race to represent western Montana in the U.S. House, Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke says his key issues are reducing inflation and strengthening the economy, border security and access to public lands. Monica Tranel, who lost to Zinke by 4 percentage points in the 2022 House race, said she wants to work for affordable housing, protecting people’s privacy and freedom — including the right to an abortion — and making communities safe, stable and secure. – Amy Beth Hanson & Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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More Than 400,000 Montanans Have Already Voted

77 percent of all absentee ballots issued statewide have been returned heading into Election Day

Nov. 4, 2024 Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced Monday evening that nearly 425,000 absentee ballots had been received by county election offices as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 4. That means more than 77 percent of all absentee ballots issued statewide have been returned heading into Election Day.

“Friends, family, and neighbors across the state have ensured their voices will be heard in this historic election,” Jacobsen said in a press release. “Absentee voters can still deliver their ballot in person on Election Day.”

For context, a little over 612,000 total ballots were cast in the 2020 general election. – Kellyn Brown

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Who’s Running for the Legislature in the Flathead?

A complete and ongoing updated guide to the candidates running for state House and Senate in the Flathead and Tobacco Valleys in 2024

Nov. 4, 2024 Voters across Montana will head to the polls this Nov. 5 to decide the results of one of the most consequential election cycles in recent history. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is up for reelection, the only Democratic member of Montana’s Congressional delegation who pundits have declared “vulnerable” in 2024. Montanans will also decide the fate of two U.S. House seats, two Supreme Court seats, governor, state auditor, superintendent of public instruction, attorney general, a number of Public Service Commission and district court judge positions and, of course, the Legislature.  – Beacon Staff

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With Election Day on the Horizon, Montana’s Candidates and Organizers Make their Final Push 

By Saturday night, nearly half of Montanans had already cast their ballots in an election that has driven the state into the national spotlight

Nov. 4, 2024 In the final moments of an election cycle that has brought copious national attention to Montana, candidates and organizers are making a final push get out the vote. As of Saturday night, nearly half of Montanans had already voted, and 73% of voters who received absentee ballots had turned them in. In Flathead County, 38,609 absentee ballots, or 70% of those mailed to voters, were returned as of Saturday. – Denali Sagner

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With Mock Election, Flathead High School Students Get a Lesson in Civics

Kalispell’s high school students are part of a growing wave of Gen-Z voters set to reshape the country’s electorate. Find out how they voted in Flathead High School’s mock election.

Nov. 2, 2024 On a cloudy Friday morning, just four days before a historic election in Montana, Roy Antley’s class was learning about misinformation. Antley is a social studies teacher at Flathead High School, where he’s taught and coached student activities for 15 years. In his government classes, Antley’s students learn about civics, media literacy, governance and the political process. – Denali Sagner

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Voters Drowning in Ads From ‘Obscene’ Amounts of Cash Flooding Montana U.S. Senate Race

Democrats, desperate to retain their majority, are on track to outspend Republicans by almost $50 million in the Montana race

Oct. 29, 2024 After 18 years working to topple Montana Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, Republicans in Big Sky Country see potential victory and control of the Senate majority within their grasp in an increasingly acrimonious contest that’s shattering campaign spending records. Montana voters, meanwhile, are getting worn out — deluged by negative ads on their TVs, radios, phones and in their mailboxes. – Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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With Abortion on the Ballot in Montana, “Pro-Life” Groups are Striking a Different Tone

Facing a public that is increasingly favorable towards abortion access — and a well-funded abortion rights movement — anti-abortion groups are turning to grassroots mobilization and a more targeted message this election cycle

Oct. 25, 2024 Mitch Morgan calls CI-128 “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” A Kalispell resident and small business owner, Morgan is part of a local effort to mobilize against a ballot initiative that, if passed in November, will enshrine a right to abortion in Montana’s constitution. In contrast to the millions in targeted campaigns and advertisements funded by abortion rights groups this year, the Flathead Valley’s anti-abortion organizers, including Morgan, have been operating largely behind the scenes. – Denali Sagner

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What to Expect in Montana on Election Day

Democratic incumbent Jon Tester faces a tough reelection bid for a fourth term against Republican Tim Sheehy

Oct. 22, 2024 When Montana voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election, they’ll decide what may just be the nation’s marquee U.S. Senate race, and with it, perhaps which party will control the closely divided chamber in the next Congress. They’ll also vote on a high-profile ballot question on abortion, as well as less competitive races for president and governor. – Associated Press

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