Legislation Changes Filing Dates for Municipal Election Candidates

Posted on May 21, 2025

Missoula residents still planning to run for mayor, City Council or municipal court judge in the 2025 municipal election should be aware of new filing deadlines that took effect earlier this month due to changes in state law.

House Bill 207, which went into effect immediately when the governor signed it May 12, changes the filing dates for the 2025 municipal election to Tuesday, May 27, through Wednesday, June 11. This moves up the deadline to file, which was previously Monday, June 16. The Elections Office has paused processing candidate filings until May 27. Candidate filings received before May 12 are considered valid, and candidates do not need to refile. Missoula County Elections did not receive any filings between May 12 and the effective date of the pause.

“After confirming the immediate impacts of HB 207 with the City of Missoula, our office paused candidate filing to align with the statewide law change,” Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman said. “We often receive candidate filings on that last day though, so we want to make sure anyone still planning to run knows that their deadline has been moved up.”

Before the law became effective, there was a 60-day window for local and state office candidate filing. The revision restricts this period to 15 days for both regular and write-in candidates. Prior to these changes, candidate filing for this election was open between April 17 and June 16. City residents who are still planning to run can file for office at the Missoula County Elections Office from 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, through 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. Filing documents and additional information are available online or at the Elections Office.

Categories: elections