Legislative vote history on school choice by rural district representatives in Montana (2023)
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Out of 150 total state legislative districts in Montana, there were 94 (63%) that contained rural school districts. Ballotpedia analyzed private school choice legislation vote histories in both chambers across partisan affiliation and according to rural school district representation.
- Republicans - 68 total state House seats
- 47 representing rural school districts
- 21 without any rural school districts
- Democrats - 32 total state House seats
- 11 representing rural school districts
- 21 without any rural school districts
Historical data for a vote on private school choice policy (2023)
- Republicans - 34 total state Senate seats
- 27 representing rural school districts
- Seven without any rural school districts
- Democrats - 16 total state Senate seats
- nine representing rural school districts
- Seven without any rural school districts
Historical data for a vote on private school choice policy (2023)
- Vote history analysis overview
- State House vote analysis
- State Senate vote analysis
- List of legislators representing rural school districts
Analysis background and methodology
Eighteen (18) states had universal private school choice programs as of June 2025. Universal school choice programs provide public funds for alternatives to public schools, such as private schools and homeschooling, and are designed for all students to qualify.[1][2][3]
- 15 of the 18 states were Republican trifectas, and 9 Republican trifectas did not have universal school choice.
- All 15 Democratic trifectas did not have universal school choice.
- Three states with universal school choice policies are divided governments, and nine divided government states do not have universal school choice.
As of June 2025, 12 Republican trifecta states had enacted universal school choice programs since 2021. In 2025, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, Wyoming, and New Hampshire passed universal private school choice legislation.
Arguments surrounding private school choice legislation may incorporate claims about the impact of private school choice on rural school districts.
Ballotpedia aggregated and analyzed legislative vote data on private school choice in Republican trifecta states that, as of January 2025, had not enacted universal private school choice policies. This project analyzes vote history across party affiliation and between legislators representing at least one rural school district and those without any rural school districts in their districts. It also shows how many legislative districts there are in each state containing at least one rural school district and lists out the legislators representing those districts.
Click here to see the vote history analyses for the other states.
The analysis is based on the vote history data for full chamber floor votes on a selection of recent bills or amendments containing provisions substantively expanding or restricting private school choice programs including Education Savings Accounts (ESA), voucher programs, and education tax credit programs.
For the analysis, Ballotpedia classified as rural any school district within an area designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as rural, which means any area not within a densely developed area with at least 2,000 housing units or a population of 5,000 or more. This analysis does not reflect any particular legislator's position on any policy or legislation. It does not evaluate reasons or motives for legislative votes.
Analysis of vote history on school choice policies
In 2023, HB 393 was signed into law. This bill created the Montana special needs equal opportunity education savings account program, which provides ESAs for disabled students that cover private school tuition among other approved expenses, such as certain homeschool expenses. "Yes" votes were in support of creating the program and in favor of private school choice, and "No" votes were opposed to the bill and are counted as not in favor of private school choice.[4]
In 2023, the Senate also voted on SB 390, which would have created the Montana equality of educational opportunity education savings account program, which would have provided ESAs for students not attending public schools. "Yes" votes were in support of creating the program and in favor of private school choice, and "No" votes were opposed to the bill and are counted as not in favor of private school choice.[5]
The House analysis below is based on votes on HB 393 (2023). The Senate analysis below is based on votes on HB 393 (2023) and votes on SB 390 (2023).
Montana State Senate Democrat school choice voting analysis
100% of Democrats in the Montana State Senate voted to oppose private school choice, including both the rural and urban/suburban district members.
State House of Representatives vote analysis
The map below shows how representatives of each House district voted on whether or not to adopt HB 393, creating the Montana special needs equal opportunity education savings account program. "Yes" votes were in support of creating the program and coded "support" to private school choice, and "No" votes were opposed to the proposed program and coded "oppose". Hover over the legislative districts to display the legislator name, party affiliation, vote tallied on HB 393, vote coding, and if the legislator's district contained at least one rural school district.[4]
State Senate vote analysis
The map below shows how representatives of each Senate district voted on whether or not to adopt HB 393, creating the Montana special needs equal opportunity education savings account program, and on whether or not to adopt SB 390, which would have created a different ESA program. "Yes" votes were in support of creating the programs and coded "support" to private school choice, and "No" votes were opposed to one or both of the proposed programs and coded "oppose". Hover over the legislative districts to display the legislator name, party affiliation, vote tallied on HB 393 and SB 390, vote coding, and if the legislator's district contained at least one rural school district.[4][5]
Montana legislators representing rural school districts
The tables below list all the members of the Montana House of Representatives and the Montana State Senate who represented as of April 2025 a legislative district that contained at least one rural school district as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The tables include the legislators' names with a link to their Ballotpedia profiles, their district numbers, their party affiliations, and the years they were first elected. The linked Ballotpedia profiles include contact information such as their websites, facebook pages, and other social accounts.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ A District Court judge ruled on April 18, 2025, that Utah's universal school choice program, Utah Fits All, violated the Utah Constitution. The program will continue to run until the Utah Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.
- ↑ A judge in Franklin County, Ohio, ruled that Ohio's EdChoice Scholarship, a universal school choice voucher program, violated the Ohio Constitution by funding private schools at the expense of public schools. The case is expected to be appealed in Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals.
- ↑ A Laramie County District Court judge instituted a preliminary injunction on Wyoming's universal Steamboat Legacy private school choice program, preventing payouts to families during litigation over the legality of the program. The program was enacted by the state legislature in March 2025 and set to begin on July 1, 2025, but was delayed on June 27, 2025, then temporarily blocked on July 15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Legiscan, "MT HB 393," accessed August 2, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Legiscan, "MT SB 390," accessed August 2, 2025
