This year’s November general election will have less municipal races listed on the ballot compared to previous years. This is due to a limited number of candidates running for some positions. Great Falls’ nine Neighborhood Councils each have five positions. Of those nine councils, only Neighborhood Council #3 has more than five candidates who filed to run for those positions this year. According to Montana Code Annotated (MCA), if the number of candidates filing for election is equal to or less than the number of positions to be filled, the election administrator shall notify the governing body of the local government, and the governing body (the City Commission) may cancel the election for those races.
The City Commission voted to remove the races for Neighborhood Councils 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 from the ballot on September 16th, as the number of candidates that filed was equal to or less than the number of open positions. The candidates who filed for election for Councils identified above have been elected by acclamation and will begin their term on January 1st, 2026. Please visit the City website to see the candidates who have been elected by acclamation. For Neighborhood Councils that had less than five candidates file for election, the City Commission can fill the remaining position(s) by appointment, according to MCA. The Neighborhood Council #3 race will be included on the ballots for that district, and voters will be asked to vote for up to five of the six candidates.
There will still be several municipal races on the ballot during the general election. Those races include a Mayor position, two City Commissioner positions, Neighborhood Council 3 positions, a Municipal Court Judge – Department B position, and one ballot issue. In past years, write-in candidates have been allowed on ballots for municipal positions. However, the state legislature recently passed House Bill 207, which requires write-in candidates to file for election ahead of time, and no names were received by the time the deadline for filing passed. Residents will receive their ballots for this year’s general election in the mail.
