Missoula Candidates Get Less Time to File for Local Elections

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - If you’ve considered running for a local public office, be aware that the filing deadlines have changed.

I spoke with Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman on Wednesday about the changes.

If You're Planning to Run for a Local Office Filing Deadlines Have Changed

“We just had the governor sign into law House Bill (HB 207), and it changed candidate filing deadlines,” began Seaman. “Earlier this year, candidate filing for the city election was open; however, on May 12, the laws changed. So, candidate filing under the new law will run from May 27 to June 11 for the municipal election filing.”

For those intending to file for local offices, Seaman says that the process is currently on hold.

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Local Filings for Elections Will Resume on May 27

“Right now we're on pause, and starting on the 27th we'll be able to accept any additional filings,” he said. “Any candidates who filed earlier are still valid. But with that law change, we wanted to let people know that it's starting later and it's ending sooner. So, candidate filing was closing on June 16, but it's now closing on June 11. We'll always have a candidate who files at the end of the candidate filing period. So we wanted to share this information as much as we could that the filing date will end on the 11th instead of the 16th.”

Seaman delineated the races affected by the legislative changes.

“This is in place for every candidate that's going to file a declaration to run for office,” he said. “We're in the middle of candidate filing for all of our different races in the City of Missoula, so this is going to be our mayor’s race, all three (municipal) judges, and there are actually seven city council races that are up for election. There are two in Ward six, so for those specifically, the filing is going to open again on May 27th and close on June 11th.”

Visit the County Elections Website for More Details

Seaman said the best place to get detailed information on running for a local public office is to visit the elections website.

“Just go to our candidate filing web page, and it's going to show you a copy of this bill,” he said. “You'll see information about our press release that we just sent out today. And you can always call our office. 406-258-4751, and we'd be happy to help make sure that you get the chance to file.”

Click here for more information about HB 207.