This bill revises existing laws regarding the use of party affiliation in nonpartisan races, including school trustee elections. It allows candidates in nonpartisan elections to indicate their political party affiliation on their declaration for nomination, which will also appear on the ballot. Specifically, judicial candidates can announce their political affiliations and endorsements, and the bill amends several sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to reflect these changes. Notably, candidates for nonpartisan offices who declare a political party affiliation will have that affiliation listed next to their name on the ballot, while those who do not will be labeled as "Nonpartisan."

Additionally, the bill amends various sections of the MCA to clarify the presentation of candidates' names and party affiliations on ballots. For instance, it removes the prohibition against indicating political affiliation on declarations for nonpartisan candidates and specifies that the name of a candidate's political party must appear on the ballot if declared. The bill also establishes that these changes will apply to primary and general elections held on or after January 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 13-10-209, 13-10-602, 13-12-203, 13-14-112, 13-14-115, 20-3-305, 20-3-306