America Amplified

Frequently asked questions about voting in Montana.

Politicians have a lot to say about drug smuggling at the southern border and whether it’s tied to immigration. So we’re going to take a few minutes to hear how Montanans’ views are shaped by political rhetoric and whether they reflect what’s really happening.

MTPR’s Austin Amestoy did some digging to find out how much the cost of living has changed over the last four years, how much influence politicians have over your pocketbook, and how voters can weigh these economic issues at the ballot box.

The candidates competing for two open seats on the Montana Supreme Court met last week to talk about their views of the job. MTPR’s Shaylee Ragar joined Austin Amestoy to break down where they stand.

Two proposals Montanans will vote on this year would change how the state runs its future elections. Supporters say they’ll combat political polarization and extremism. Opponents say they may muck up our elections.

This week we're looking at the most annoying aspect of any election year: political ads. A listener wants to know if there's any kind of fact checking done before these ads air.

Former President Donald Trump was in Bozeman August 9th to rally his supporters to back Tim Sheehy, Montana’s GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate.

This time around, we’re unpacking an answer to a tricky education question: "Why is Montana ranked one of the last in the nation for teacher salary, and how might this be changing in the next legislative session?"

Montana Republicans met in Billings over the weekend to update their party’s platform. Montana Public Radio’s Shaylee Ragar was at the event and joined host Austin Amestoy to talk about the Republicans' debate on election law, immigration, abortion and party loyalty.

Montana’s primary elections — which take place later than those in all but a handful of states — are now officially in the rear-view mirror. That raises a good question: Why are Montana's primaries so late in the year? It's a question that stumped many historians. Here's what we found out.