MISSOULA - Voters are casting their ballots in the Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Missoula Municipal Primary Election to decide who they want to move on to the November general election.
City voters are selecting a candidate for mayor as well as a candidate for Missoula City Council Ward 5.
Voters can drop off their ballots at the following locations until 8 p.m. on Tuesday:
- Missoula County Fairgrounds, between the Fairgrounds and the YMCA off Russell Street (drive-thru)
- Missoula Public Library, 455 East Main Street
- Hellgate Elementary School, 2385 Flynn Lane
- Former Cold Springs School, 2625 Briggs Street
- C.S. Porter Middle School, 2510 West Central Avenue
- Missoula County Elections Center (ADA voting equipped)
Election Day voter registration will be available. All voters in line at the Missoula County Elections Center at 8 p.m. will be served. Voters can also visit the Elections Center to receive a replacement ballot, pick up an undeliverable ballot, and access other voter services. The Elections Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters can check that their address and other information is up to date online at myvoterpageMT.com.
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Current Mayor Jordan Hess, who was selected last September to lead the city until the election, spent most of his childhood in Helena before attending the University of Montana in 2005. He is also Missoula’s longest-serving council member and has held several leadership roles in transportation and clean energy projects.
His colleague on the council, Mike Nugent, was born and raised in Missoula and is also a UM graduate. He's made a career in real estate and serves on several boards from the fairgrounds to United Way. Nugent currently represents Ward 4 of the City Council, which is the southeast area of Missoula.
Andrea Davis, a Kalispell native, is making her first run for public office after over two decades working in the housing sector. For the past 15 years, she's been the executive director of Homeward and a large part of her platform addresses Missoula's housing crisis.
The fourth candidate on the ballot is Shawn Knopp, a Missoula businessman who's running on a platform of fiscal responsibility. Knopp has thrown his hat in the ring before but believes with his experience, he can help the city address its taxes and housing issues.
The fifth candidate is Brandi Atanasoff, a public relations consultant, who also has ties to the University of Montana.
There are also several races for Missoula City Council, but only Ward 5 has a primary on Tuesday. Three candidates — Dave Bell, Bob Campbell, and Lynn-Wood Fields — are all vying to make the November ballot.
Bell is a commercial photographer who's lived in Missoula since 2003. He also chairs the Missoula Human Trafficking Task Force.
Fields grew up in the Flathead and is a filmmaker, producer, and educator. She owns Montana Film Tax Credits and Montana Media Center.
Campbell is a retired police officer who began his law enforcement career in Hot Springs and Plains before serving in the Missoula Police Department. He retired in 2022.
