On March 26, 2024 the Park County Commission appointed an interim Justice of the Peace. This nonpartisan office will appear on the November 5, 2024 General Election Ballot as an unexpired term to begin on January 1, 2025 and to be completed at the end of 2026. 

As stated in MCA Section 13-14-118 (2): -   If a vacancy for a nonpartisan nomination cannot be filled as provided in subsection (1) and the vacancy occurs no later than 85 days before the general election, a 10-day period for accepting declarations for nomination or statements of candidacy and nominating petitions for the office must be declared by: (a) the governor for national, state, judicial district, legislative, or any multicounty district office; (b) the governing body of the appropriate political subdivision for all other offices.

The Park County Commission has declared a 10-day filing period in a public meeting held on April 16, 2024, where they voted to set the 10-day filing period from June 17 – June 26, 2024.

General qualifications for county office are as follows: 7-4-2201. General qualifications for county office. A person is not eligible for a county office who at the time of election is not:

(1) of the voting age required by the Montana constitution;

(2) a citizen of the state; and

(3) (a) an elector of the county in which the duties of the office are to be exercised; or

(b) in the case of an office consolidated between two or more counties, an elector in one of the counties in which the duties of the office are to be exercised.

Section 3-10-202. Oath -- proof of certification. (1) Each justice of the peace, elected or appointed, after receipt of the certificate of election or appointment, shall, before entering upon the duties of office, take the constitutional oath of office, which must be filed with the county clerk.

(2) Before the county clerk may file the oath, the elected or appointed justice shall satisfy the clerk that the justice is certified as provided in 3-1-1502 or 3-1-1503.

The Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy Form can be found online on the Park County Elections Page: parkcounty.org/Government-Departments/Elections/Election-Forms, or in the Park County Elections Office at 414 E Callender St., Livingston, MT 59047.

Maritza H. Reddington, Park County Election Administrator