The Montana Election Observation Initiative (MTEOI), a nonpartisan effort to enhance transparency and trust in Montana’s elections, reported a transparent and secure election marked by strong public engagement and dedicated election staff working long hours to manage logistical challenges.

MTEOI deployed 120 trained observers to 76 unique voting locations in 16 counties to observe voting and tabulation procedures for the 2024 general election. Representing about 75% of Montana’s active voter population, observers were deployed to: Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Custer, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Hill, Lake, Lewis & Clark, Missoula, Ravalli, Roosevelt, Rosebud, and Yellowstone counties.

MTEOI observers focused on adherence to election procedures, abiding by a code of conduct that emphasizes impartiality and non-interference. Prior to Election Day, they monitored public accuracy tests of voting equipment and absentee ballot processing. - MTEOI Docs - 2024 Montana Final General Election Report)

This Report includes observation of the following stages of the election process:
·Testing of Elections Equipment (Logic and Accuracy Testing)
·Ballot Pre-Processing
·Ballot Processing and Tabulation
·In-Person Voting
·Ballot Processing and Tabulation
·Tabulation of Provisional Ballots
·Post-Election Audit
·County Certification of Results

The Montana Election Observation Initiative ran a pilot observation during Montana's Primary election in Missoula County. Initially, the MTEOI had planned only to dispatch a limited number of observers to better understand and further develop our observation tools and processes. We were able, however, to locate and train a full complement of observers that allowed us to collect meaningful data and issue a Statement of Findings.

MTEOI organized a comprehensive nonpartisan election observation pilot for Missoula County’s primary election on June 4, 2024. MTEOI observers were present during all critical stages of the election: from the testing of election equipment on May 28 through the certification of county election results on June 18. In total, the observation pilot mobilized 28 volunteer election observers. Observers received basic training on the stage of the election process to be observed, recorded their findings on structured observation forms and then reported those findings back to a central data team in Missoula that assessed the information for completeness and internal consistency. These aggregated findings constitute the basis of the present observation statement. (Find the complete statement - MTEOI Docs - Full Statement of Findings on the Conduct of Missoula County’s June 4, 2024 Primary Election)

This statement shares observations from the following stages of the election process:
·Testing of Elections Equipment (Logic and Accuracy Testing)
·Ballot Pre-Processing on May 30
·Ballot Processing and Tabulation on June 3
·In-Person Voting on June 4
·Ballot Processing and Tabulation on June 4 – 5
·Tabulation of Provisional Ballots on June 10
·Post-Election Audit
·County Certification of Results