on April 17, the Montana legislature passed HB 207. Although originally this bill raised the number of signatures for non-presidential independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties, the final version lowers the petition requirement, from 5% of the winner’s vote in the last election, to 4% of the winner’s vote.

Assuming it is signed, this decreases the petition requirement for U.S. Senate in 2026 from 15,985 signatures to 12,788 signatures. This still leave Montana will one of the strictest statewide independent petition requirements of any state.

The bill also says that if a petition fails, the candidate receives his or her filing fee back. And it makes it illegal for a primary loser to be a write-in candidate in the general election.

This appears to be the first bill that has passed in any state this year that eases ballot access.

Presidential independents continue to need 5,000 signatures.