Great Falls municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years and are run by CascadeCountyElections, not by the City.
The Mayor is elected for a two-year term; the four Commissioners for overlapping four-year terms. All five are elected at large and non-partisan. Also on the municipal ballot: MunicipalCourt judgeships, five positions in each of the nine NeighborhoodCouncils districts, and any ballot issue the CityCommission refers.
Under MCA 13-1-403, if the number of candidates filing equals or is fewer than the number of positions to be filled, the election administrator notifies the governing body in writing that the election is not necessary and the governing body may cancel it by resolution. Candidates are then elected by acclamation following the general election. This happens often for neighborhood council seats — see MunicipalElections2025.
The Commission may refer a proposed ordinance amendment to a vote of the people. It did so in 2025 with the fireworks ordinance — see FireworksReferendum2025 and Ordinance3278.
The County posts Great Falls municipal election information, previous municipal results, election dates and candidate certifications.
Great Falls municipal election information: https://www.cascadecountymt.gov/646/Great-Falls-Municipal-Election-Informati Previous municipal election results: https://www.cascadecountymt.gov/688/Previous-Municipal-Elections-Results