Montana begins post-election audit to review 2026 primary votes

HELENA, Mont. — Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced on Tuesday that the state had officially commenced its post-election audit process for the 2026 primary election.

The Montana State Board of Canvassers met at the State Capitol, using a 10-sided dice to pick the races and precincts for review at random.

According to Secretary Jacobsen, representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, Office of Public Instruction and State Auditor’s Office took part in this process.

Under state law election workers are required to hand count votes in the chosen races and compare that count with the machine-tabulated results. Jacobsen noted that laws passed by the 2023 Legislature expanded the audit by increasing the number of races included and requiring counties that count results by hand to also complete an audit.

"Montana's elections have been nationally recognized, and one of the greatest strengths in our election procedures is the use of paper ballots and the Post-Election Audit Act that confirms the results of those paper ballots," Jacobsen said.

A list of the random audit selections from Tuesday’s meeting can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

Counties audits across Montana are set to begin by June 16, and the state canvass is scheduled for June 29.