Election Observation Success in Montana

Although The Carter Center has been observing elections around the globe since 1989, independent election observation is not common in the United States — in fact, it’s illegal in some places. Montana law allows it, but it had never been done before in a large, organized way.

For the 2024 elections, The Carter Center partnered with the Montana Election Observation Initiative, a nonpartisan network seeking to increase trust in the state’s elections.

The Carter Center and MTEOI piloted observation in Missoula County’s June 2024 primaries by training observers, building observer kits, and finally deploying volunteer observers. After that effort proved successful, the project ballooned to 15 counties across the vast state for the November general election. The Center trained and sent more than 150 observers to the polls and worked out of a data center for 36 hours during the election period.

MTEOI’s final report concluded that “Montana’s 2024 elections were secure, transparent, and well-managed, reflecting the state’s strong civic participation and commitment to democratic integrity.”

While every state’s rules are different, the Center looks forward to working with local partners to do more election observation in the United States, ensuring free, fair, and honest elections for all.