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Montana Secretary of State election, 2020

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Montana Secretary of State
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 9, 2020
Primary: June 2, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Corey Stapleton (R)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Montana
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2020
Impact of term limits in 2020
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
Montana
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Attorney General
Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, State Auditor
Public Service Commission (3 seats)

Christi Jacobsen (R) defeated Bryce Bennett (D) in the general election for Montana Secretary of State on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Corey Stapleton (R) did not run for re-election, instead running in the Republican primary for Montana's At-Large Congressional District.

In 2016, Stapleton defeated Monica Lindeen (D) 55% to 41%. Before the 2016 election, a Democrat had held the office since 2009.

In Montana, the secretary of state’s office oversees five divisions:

  • The Elections and Government Services Division, which oversees elections and voter registration.
  • The Administrative Rules Services Division, which performs administrative state law duties like filing rule notices, rule adoptions, and interpretations, and publishing the state register twice a month.
  • The Business Services Division, which registers business entities, trademarks, assumed business names, and liens made under the Uniform Commercial Code and Federal Food Security Act.
  • The Certification and Notaries Division, which licenses and trains notaries public and certifies documents.
  • The Records Management Bureau, which maintains the records of state and local governments.

Montana was one of 14 states under divided triplex control, meaning control of the top executive positions was split between the parties or one or more of the positions are held by independent or nonpartisan officers not appointed by the governor. Both the secretary of state and attorney general were Republicans and the governor was a Democrat. In 2020, Montana was holding open-seat elections, meaning no incumbents were running, for all three of these offices. To read more about the gubernatorial election, click here, and to read more about the election for attorney general, click here.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Montana modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: Counties were authorized to conduct the general election entirely by mail.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Montana Secretary of State

Christi Jacobsen defeated Bryce Bennett in the general election for Montana Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Christi Jacobsen
Christi Jacobsen (R)
 
59.6
 
352,939
Image of Bryce Bennett
Bryce Bennett (D)
 
40.4
 
239,617

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 592,556
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State

Bryce Bennett advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bryce Bennett
Bryce Bennett
 
100.0
 
130,181

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 130,181
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Christi Jacobsen
Christi Jacobsen
 
29.4
 
57,941
Image of Scott Sales
Scott Sales
 
25.3
 
49,759
Image of Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson
 
23.1
 
45,526
Image of Forrest Mandeville
Forrest Mandeville
 
10.3
 
20,318
Image of Bowen Greenwood
Bowen Greenwood
 
7.1
 
14,080
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Kurt Johnson
 
4.7
 
9,316

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 196,940
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[1] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Bryce Bennett

Image of Bryce Bennett

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Bennett received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Montana in 2007. From 2009 to 2013, he was a director of winning at Forward Montana, a youth civic engagement organization. As of 2013, Bennett was the executive director of the Montana Public Interest Research Group.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Bennett said he would support peoples' access to public lands and ensure the government is responsive to small businesses’ needs.

Bennett said he would work to make elections secure and make voting accessible to all eligible Montanans. He said as a state legislator he had passed bipartisan bills to enable rural access to voting and support Montana’s vote by mail system.

Bennett said he would oppose the influence of special interests in elections and prioritize his constituents over partisan politics.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Change," April 15, 2020; Bryce Bennett's 2020 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed October 22, 2020; MontPIRG, "The MontPIRG Mission," accessed October 22, 2020; LinkedIn, "Bryce Bennett," accessed October 22, 2020; Forward Montana, "About FMT," accessed October 22, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Montana Secretary of State in 2020.

Christi Jacobsen

Image of Christi Jacobsen

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Jacobsen received a bachelor's degree in political science from Carroll College in 1997 and a master's in public administration from the University of Montana in 2000. She began her career in the telecommunications industry before joining the governor's office as a budget analyst in 2000. Jacobsen has worked in Montana's justice department and auditor's office. She became the deputy secretary of state in 2017.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Jacobsen said she brought what she described as a private-sector approach to government as deputy secretary of state by implementing new technology, reducing staff, and reducing rent spending.

Jacobsen said she would oppose centralizing Montana’s election system and support laws requiring voters to show identification.

Jacobsen described herself as a Trump Republican and said she was not a career politician.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Christi Jacobsen for Montana Secretary of State," February 18, 2020; Christi Jacobsen's 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 22, 2020; LinkedIn, "Christi Jacobsen," accessed May 11, 2020, Jacobsen's 2020 campaign website, "About Christi," accessed May 11, 2020, Havre Daily News, "Pile of Republicans face off in Montana secretary of state primary," May 5, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Montana Secretary of State in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Bennett (D) Jacobsen (R)
Newspapers and editorials
Billings Gazette[2] ✔
Bozeman Daily Chronicle[3] ✔
Helen Independent Record[4] ✔
Missoulian[5] ✔
Montana Standard[6] ✔
Elected officials
Governor Steve Bullock (D)[7] ✔
Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton (D)[8] ✔
Individuals
Former Montana Secretary of State Bob Brown (R)[9] ✔
Former Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch (D)[10] ✔

Timeline

2020

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Bluedot.png Bryce Bennett

Supporting Bennett

"For You" - Bennett campaign ad, released September 21, 2020
"Change" - Bennett campaign ad, released April 15, 2020


Republican Party Christi Jacobsen

Supporting Jacobsen

"Christi Jacobsen for Montana Secretary of State" - Jacobsen campaign ad, released May 2, 2020
"Christi Jacobsen for Montana Secretary of State" - Jacobsen campaign ad, released February 18, 2020


Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Bryce Bennett

Bennett’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Supporting Main Street Businesses
Bryce was recognized by the Montana Chamber of Commerce for his record of working with Main Street. As Secretary of State, Bryce will cut red tape and bureaucracy and bring small businesses and entrepreneurs to the table to make sure government is responsive to Main Street and listens to the needs of Montana’s job creators.
Bryce’s Leadership:
  • Bryce will cut government bureaucracy by making the Secretary of State’s office a one-stop-shop for small business owners so they have a clear roadmap of each step they will need to take to get their business up and thriving.
  • Bryce knows that every moment a business owner spends filling out government forms is time they lose for their business and putting food on their family’s table.
  • Bryce will create a business council so business leaders always have a seat at the table
  • Bryce will meet Montanans where they are by allowing for electronic and paper filings - not turning away folks in rural Montana who can’t register electronically
  • Bryce will use the office’s contact information to help get businesses the tools and information they need to succeed, not more political grandstanding.
  • Battling Dark Money
When special interest dark money groups came into Montana to try and buy our elections, Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats and led the charge to pass the nation’s leading anti-dark money law, to ensure the only voice that matters on Election Day is Montana voters.
Bryce’s Leadership:
  • Bryce was a leader in passing the Disclose Act which pulled dark money groups out of the shadows and required that every penny spent in our elections is transparent and accountable to Montana voters.
  • Bryce is endorsed by End Citizens United, a group dedicated to keeping special interest money out of our elections.
  • Bryce believes that dark money not only corrupts our elections, but also harms the integrity of democracy by making Montanans doubt their voice matters.
  • Protecting Access to our Public Lands
Bryce has a long history of protecting access to Montanas public lands. Throughout his career he has fought the special interests who want to transfer our public lands to state ownership or sell them off to the highest bidder. Bryce grew up swimming in Flathead Lake and hiking up Pompey’s Pillar and will always ensure we keep our public lands in public hands.
Bryce’s Leadership:
  • Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats to push legislation that would put heavy fines on out-of-staters who put up gates and barbed wire to try to block our public access.
  • Bryce is endorsed by the Montana Sportsmen's Alliance because he is the only candidate in this race that will protect access for hunters and anglers.
  • Bryce will be an advocate for public access on the Land Board and will bring private landowners to the table to ensure we can open up more areas to hike, hunt, fish, and explore.
  • Bipartisan Leadership
Bryce Bennett has worked with Republicans and Democrats to get things done. Whether it was protecting healthcare for over 90,000 Montanans, passing the nations strongest anti-dark money legislation, or protecting your private data as a founder of the bipartisan Privacy Caucus, Bryce always puts Montana’s ahead of partisan politics.
Bryce’s Leadership:
  • Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass Medicaid expansion in 2015 and protect it from expiring in 2019. This work ensured over 90,000 Montanans could keep their healthcare and kept our rural hospitals open.
  • Bryce was a leader in passing the Disclose Act which pulled dark money groups out of the shadows and required that every penny spent in our elections is transparent and accountable to Montana voters.
  • Bryce was a co-founder of the Montana Privacy Caucus - a bipartisan group of legislators who have successfully passed bills to defend your private data from government or corporate overreach.
  • Bryce has reached across the aisle to secure millions of dollars of funding to fix roads and bridges, support our schools, and repair vital water systems.
  • A Strong, Secure Democracy
The Secretary of State is the defender of our democracy. Bryce has passed bipartisan bill after bipartisan bill to make sure our elections are more secure, accessible, and stronger than ever before. From fixing our broken vote by mail system to making sure rural Montanans had a say in Montana’s future, Bryce will always make sure that every voice is heard and every vote is counted.
Bryce’s Leadership:
  • Bryce passed legislation to ensure folks from rural Montana no longer had to travel hundreds of miles just to drop off a ballot.
  • When our broken election system was hemorrhaging voters off the vote by mail list after each election, Bryce came up with a solution that got fixed the problem and got ballots into the hands of 72,000 Montana voters who would have been left out.
  • Bryce got his start registering voters in knee deep snow and pouring rain to help ensure everyone has a say in Montana’s future. He registered Republicans, Democrats, and Independents - party didn’t matter - because he believed then as he does now that all Montanans deserve to have their voices heard on Election Day.
  • Bryce has fought the out of touch politicians pushing a voter suppression agenda that want to silence your ability to have a say in Montana’s future.[11]
 ”
—Bryce Bennett’s campaign website (2020)[12]


Republican Party Christi Jacobsen

Jacobsen’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Election Integrity and Security
Elections are the core of our democratic republic. Our honeycomb system is what makes our election system strong. I will protect against any attemps for centralizing and thus weakening our elections.
  • United States and Montana Constitution
I will ensure that every child has a United States and Montana constitution. Voter participation has to start much sooner than adulthood. Providing a printed United State and Montana constitution is the foundation of voter participation.
  • Voter ID
I support the requirement of valid identification when voting, and thus enhancing the security of our voting system.
  • Natural Resources
As a member of the Montana Board of Land Commissioners, I will support responsible agriculture and natural resource development.[11]
 ”
—Christi Jacobsen's campaign website (2020)[13]


Past elections

2016

See also: Montana Secretary of State election, 2016

The general election for secretary of state was held on November 8, 2016.

Corey Stapleton defeated Monica Lindeen and Roger Roots in the Montana secretary of state election.

Montana Secretary of State, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Corey Stapleton 55.49% 277,473
     Democratic Monica Lindeen 40.97% 204,861
     Libertarian Roger Roots 3.54% 17,687
Total Votes 500,021
Source: Montana Secretary of State


State profile

See also: Montana and Montana elections, 2020
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Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of April 30, 2020.

Presidential voting pattern

  • Montana voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Montana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R
Senate D D D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D R R R R R R R R R R R R S S R R S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Montana quick stats
More Montana coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Montana
 MontanaU.S.
Total population:1,032,073316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):145,5463,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:89.2%73.6%
Black/African American:0.5%12.6%
Asian:0.7%5.1%
Native American:6.5%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:3.3%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:92.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:29.5%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$47,169$53,889
Persons below poverty level:17%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

Montana State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Montana State Executive Offices
Montana State Legislature
Montana Courts
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Montana elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Billings Gazette, "Gazette endorsement: For Secretary of State, Bryce Bennett," October 14, 2020
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bozeman Daily Chronicle, "Chronicle editorial: Editorial board offers endorsements on key initiatives," October 20, 2020
  4. ↑ Helen Independent Record, "An IR View: Our endorsements in Montana's down-ballot races," October 4, 2020
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Missoulian, "It's time for a change in Secretary of State's Office," October 14, 2020
  6. ↑ Montana Standard, "Standard view: For secretary of state, we endorse Bryce Bennett," October 12, 2020
  7. ↑ YouTube, "Gov. Steve Bullock Endorses Bryce Bennett for Secretary of State," August 14, 2020
  8. ↑ Montana Public Radio, "Christi Jacobsen 2020 Election Questionnaire," May 21, 2020
  9. ↑ YouTube, "Fmr. Republican Secretary of State Bob Brown endorses Sen. Bryce Bennett," August 27, 2020, 2020
  10. ↑ Bryce Bennett's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 22, 2020
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  12. ↑ Bryce Bennett’s 2020 campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed October 2, 2020
  13. ↑ Christi Jacobsen's 2020 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed October 2, 2019
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