Montana State University Extension is providing guidance to local officials across the state as they carry out a voter review process required by the Montana Constitution every 10 years. The Local Government Center (LGC) at MSU Extension, established four decades ago, was created specifically to support this kind of work.
Ashley Kent, associate director of MSU Extension’s LGC, explained the constitutional mandate: “We have a constitutional requirement in Montana that municipalities and counties must ask their citizens once every 10 years whether they want to review their system of government. It intentionally places the power and authority within the hands of the people to make structural changes to our local government systems. You must ask the citizens. It’s not that it’s nice to have that, it’s something we must have.”
The voter review process allows residents in each municipality and county to decide if they wish to formally examine their local government structure. Kent noted that this approach aims for governments to remain responsive and flexible, since different communities have varying needs over time.
“We expect that every community in Montana is going to look different than their peers and their neighbors,” Kent said. “And even that’s going to look different over time.”
In 2024, voters in 12 counties and 44 towns or cities opted for a review of their governmental structure. As a result, study commissioners—either elected or appointed—will evaluate possible changes tailored for each community. Over the past year, MSU Extension’s LGC has provided educational resources for these commissioners about how reviews are conducted and how proposed changes might be put forward on future ballots. This support will continue into 2026.
“We are the only organization in the state that has accepted some kind of responsibility to support this process,” Kent said. “There is no formal support for this at the state level.”
MSU-led training sessions include interactive learning opportunities for both commissioners and members of the public. So far, LGC representatives have participated in 17 meetings involving approximately 250 study commissioners and interested residents. The center also offers an online course designed specifically for this purpose along with digital materials and ongoing technical assistance.
“We provide everything from initial training for the study commissioners and community content for those local governments as they’re educating their citizens up through support in writing the final reports and the proposed language for the election ballots,” Kent said. “We’re a beginning-to-end full support system for them.”
Training sessions will continue in jurisdictions involved with voter review through at least November 2026 elections when any recommended changes may appear on local ballots.
Seven public meetings related to voter review are scheduled in Gallatin County during November.
For further details or questions about Montana’s voter review process, individuals can visit MSU Extension’s Local Government Center resource page or call 406-994-6694.
