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SB 57MONTANASession 2025State BillSigned into law

Enacted

Montana requires county canvassing boards to investigate vote count discrepancies and mandates immediate recount powers

Original title: Revise county canvassing processes

Last action · May 13, 2025: Chapter Number AssignedSponsor: Mike Cuffe

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Does

Montana law now requires county boards of ers to compare total votes cast against the number of voters and electors, investigate any discrepancies or errors, and conclude such investigations within two days. The legislation allows boards to require a recount or ballot inspection during an investigation and takes effect immediately upon passage and approval.

Why it matters

Changes county election administration procedures by establishing strict two-day investigation deadlines and granting ing boards independent authority to order vote recounts when vote counts and voter tallies do not match.

Background

Mike Cuffe is a Republican member of the Montana Senate representing District 1. context
County canvassing boards in Montana are responsible for official local review and certification of election results before state certification. context

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Board of County Canvassers

Must perform comparisons between voter counts and votes cast, conduct investigations into discrepancies within two days, and hold the authority to require recounts.

Directly affected

election administrators

Must conduct recounts or ballot inspections when required by the canvassing board during a discrepancy investigation.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What triggers an investigation by a county canvassing board under this law?

An investigation is triggered if the board finds that votes returned for a candidate or ballot issue exceed the number of electors or persons who voted, or if they find any error affecting the accuracy of vote totals in a precinct.

How long does a canvassing board have to complete an investigation into vote discrepancies?

The investigation must be concluded within 2 days.

Can a canvassing board order a recount on its own authority?

Yes, as part of an investigation into discrepancies or errors, the board may require the election administrator to conduct a recount of votes.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

35 actions

May 13, 2025Senate
Chapter Number Assigned
May 8, 2025SenateEnrolled
(S) Signed by Governor
May 1, 2025Senate
(S) Transmitted to Governor
May 1, 2025House
(H) Signed by Speaker
Apr 22, 2025Senate
(S) Signed by President
Apr 17, 2025Senate
(S) Returned from Enrolling

Show 29 earlier actions

Apr 15, 2025Senate
(S) Sent to Enrolling
Apr 15, 2025House
(H) 3rd Reading
Apr 15, 2025House
(H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
Apr 14, 2025House
(H) 2nd Reading
Apr 14, 2025House
(H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
Mar 20, 2025HouseCommittee
(H) Committee Report
Mar 20, 2025HouseCommittee
(H) Committee Executive Action
Feb 12, 2025House
(H) Hearing
Feb 11, 2025House
(H) 1st Reading
Feb 11, 2025HouseCommittee
(H) Referred to Committee
Feb 10, 2025Senate
(S) Transmitted to House
Feb 10, 2025Senate
(S) 3rd Reading
Feb 10, 2025Senate
(S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
Feb 7, 2025Senate
(S) 2nd Reading
Feb 7, 2025Senate
(S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
Jan 24, 2025SenateCommittee
(S) Committee Report
Jan 22, 2025SenateCommittee
(S) Committee Executive Action
Jan 14, 2025Senate
(S) Hearing
Jan 7, 2025SenateCommittee
(S) Referred to Committee
Jan 6, 2025Senate
(S) 1st Reading
Dec 16, 2024SenateIntroduced
(S) Introduced
Dec 16, 2024House
(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
Dec 10, 2024House
(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
Dec 10, 2024House
(LC) Draft in Assembly
Dec 10, 2024House
(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
Dec 9, 2024House
(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
Dec 5, 2024House
(LC) Draft in Edit
Dec 5, 2024House
(LC) Draft in Legal Review
Nov 29, 2024House
(LC) Drafter Assigned

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Mandatory Discrepancy Investigations

The bill shifts county canvassing from a routine administrative tally to a mandatory investigative process with strict 2-day deadlines when voter counts do not match ballot totals.

Board of County Canvassers

Connected Entities

Senate Select Committee on Elections, Mike Cuffe, Montana

OrganizationSenate Select Committee on Elections“Requested the introduction of SB 57”Map →

PersonMike Cuffe“Republican Senator for District 1, introduced SB 57”Map →

locationMontana“Jurisdiction where the bill applies”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy15
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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