Tanner Smith
Active candidates for Governor
Smith, 49 as of Election Day, is a Lakeside resident who represented House District 11 in the 2023 Legislature as a freshman lawmaker. While in the Legislature, he served on the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee, House Taxation Committee, House Transportation Committee, and the Joint Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Senate Fish & Game Committee.
He sponsored four bills during the 2023 session, including one that would have limited the location of marijuana dispensaries, though none passed into law.
As he campaigns for governor, he has pledged to represent conservative Republican values, crack down on crime and drug trafficking, reduce homeowner property taxes and expand natural resource production.
“The Montana my children are growing up in is nothing like the Montana I grew up in,” Smith told MTFP.
Smith owns his own construction business in Lakeside, where he lives with his wife and five children. Smith was a school board trustee for Somers Lakeside School District 29 but resigned in January 2023. He grew up in Stevensville.
This biography is based on materials compiled by the Montana Legislature, Smith’s campaign website, news reports and public business records.
ON THE ISSUES
Answers here were solicited from candidates via a written questionnaire conducted by MTFP in April 2024. Responses were limited to 1,000 characters and edited lightly for punctuation and spelling. Candidates were asked to focus on the positives their service would bring the state instead of making rhetorical attacks on their opponents. Responses have not been exhaustively fact-checked.
All of us conservative Republicans tried fixing this in the 2023 session. The entire tax appraisal formula needs to be based off of acquisition value not fair market value. What you paid for your house is what you are taxed on. As governor I intend to return to mining, logging and responsibly utilizing our natural resources. The property tax problem is because the tax burden has shifted to residential property owners where as 30 years ago proceeds from natural resource taxes is what funded local government.
The school finance system of ANB funding is fine. It's not a funding issue. Private schools educate their students with less money and students generally have better outcomes. The public schools need to return to the three R's of education. Private schools and home schools are taking children out of the public school because the parents don't want their children indoctrinated. They went woke and they're going broke. Many public schools are top-heavy with administration and those funds should go to the teachers. Many schools also went fully computerized with Google classroom and the cyber and ransom insurance for these platforms is extremely expensive. These schools could buy text books and pay their teachers much higher salaries.
I believe life begins at conception and ends at natural death. If the Legislature brought me that bill I would sign it. Every life matters and unborn babies have the right to live. As a husband, father and man I need to protect those that can't protect themselves.
I would have to see what bill comes out of the 2025 Legislature. We need to provide some assistance for the health care of children and those folks in need of temporary coverage. I also believe people who can work need to work and provide for themselves, including their health insurance. There needs to be sideboards and curbs on Medicaid or it will become financially unsustainable like every governmental assistance program. Those of us in the private sector don't work seven days a week so everyone can have freebies.
This is what happens when you vote for Democrats and regulate fossil fuels out of business. Housing prices are based off of energy production. Higher inputs for developers and builders equals higher outputs to consumers. As governor I would advance the cause of Montana becoming energy independent. I will insulate Montana from the bad policies coming out of Washington D.C. The state of Montana shouldn't be picking winners and losers with regards to who gets housing assistance. The folks getting the assistance are doing so at the detriment of another. I would support the use of tax abatements to allow the private sector to start building again. What's missing in the rental/housing discussion is ‘Why are people short of money?’ Tax proceeds from recreational cannabis will be $100 million in 2024. That revenue is 20% of the $500 million spent on pot? $500 million "reported" in this cash business..... really $600 million, $1 billion? Our entire state annual budget is $7 billion.
Faith SHOULD pay a paramount role in Montana life....unfortunately it doesn't. As a legislator and as governor we can't constitutionally mandate people to have religion in their lives. It is the role of missionaries and churches to spread the word. As governor I would advocate for and educate the people on living by the "Golden Rule" and be kind to one another. Treating others the way you want to be treated resonates with all ages and genres.
MTFP COVERAGE OF Smith
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Election outcomes
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| GREG GIANFORTE | 143,137 | |
| TANNER SMITH | 47,015 |
COMMON VOTING QUESTIONS
When are Montana’s 2024 elections?
Voters will pick which candidates advance to the November general election in the June primary, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4. Voters will pick the candidates who will ultimately fill each office on the ballot in the November election, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Who runs Montana’s elections?
Montana elections are administered at the county level. The process is overseen by county clerks and election administrators, who help to train and monitor the volunteer election judges that staff the polls. Ballots are typically processed and counted at central county locations, with the results reported to the Montana secretary of state’s office via a statewide software system called ElectMT.
Once polls close, the secretary of state’s office provides results through its website. The state-level office also provides guidance to local election administrators to ensure compliance with state election laws. Additionally, enforcing compliance with some laws governing political campaigns, particularly those involving campaign finance, falls to a separate office known as the Commissioner of Political Practices.
Do I need to be registered in order to vote?
Yes. If you’re unsure about your registration status, you can check it through the Montana secretary of state's My Voter Page. You can register to vote by stopping by your county election office any time during regular business hours to pick up an application. After you’ve filled it out, you’ll need to get it back to your county election office by mail or in person (the latter option is strongly recommended close to Election Day to ensure your application is received in time). If you do present your application in person, you’ll have to provide a photo ID or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you happen to be applying for a Montana driver’s license or identification card before the election, you can register to vote at the same time.
Can I register to vote on Election Day?
Yes. The state Legislature has sought to enact an earlier registration deadline, but under a March 2024 ruling by the Montana Supreme Court, same-day voter registration remains legal in Montana. Residents can register to vote or update their voter registration at their county’s election office prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Does Montana have voter ID requirements?
Yes, you will be required to present identification when voting at the polls. However, under the Montana Supreme Court’s March ruling, changes made to those requirements by the 2021 Legislature remain blocked. The current forms of identification voters can use at the polls are a current Montana driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, tribal or military photo ID, a U.S. passport or a student ID. If you don’t have a photo ID, you can use a utility bill, a bank statement, a voter confirmation card or any other government document that shows your name and address.
Are there situations where I wouldn't be eligible to vote?
According to state law, you can't vote if you'll be under age 18 on Election Day, are not a U.S. citizen, or have lived in Montana less than 30 days. Convicted felons who are currently incarcerated in a penal facility and people whom judges have ruled to be of unsound mind are also ineligible to vote. Otherwise, you're good to go.
Can I vote online?
No, that’s not an option in Montana.
Can I vote by mail?
Yes, you can sign up as an absentee voter by checking a box on your voter registration form. If you’re already registered to vote, you can fill out a separate form and submit it to your county election office.
If you’re registered as an absentee voter, a ballot should be mailed to you a few weeks in advance of each election day. You can make sure your address is current via the My Voter page. County election officials are slated to mail ballots to voters for the June 2024 primary election May 10.
You can return ballots by mail, or drop them off in person at your county’s election office. Either way, the election office must receive your ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to count it.
How do I vote in person?
If you plan to vote at the polls, just be sure you know where your polling location is and head there between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day. You'll need to provide a photo ID and sign the precinct register, at which point you’ll get your ballot and be directed to a voting booth. If you have any technical questions or run into any problems, the election judges at your polling place should be able to help you.
I have a friend or family member who isn't able to drop off his or her mail-in ballot. Can I do it for them?
Yes, you can. The Montana Legislature did make some changes to ballot collection laws in 2021 related to paid ballot collection, those changes have also been blocked by the Montana Supreme Court.
Who should I vote for?
That’s your call, not ours. We hope the information we present on this guide is helpful as you make that decision for yourself, though.
About this project
This guide was produced by the Montana Free Press newsroom with production and web development by Eric Dietrich, editing by Brad Tyer and Nick Ehli and contributions from Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Mara Silvers, Alex Sakariassen, Amanda Eggert and Stephanie Farmer. Questionnaire responses for legislatiive candidates were collected with help from the Montana League of Women Voters, through the league's Vote 411 program. Contact Eric Dietrich with questions, corrections or suggestions at edietrich@montanafreepress.org.
Montana Free Press is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reader-supported news organization serving Montana. MTFP's donor base includes supporters from across Montana's political spectrum, including some Montanans who are candidates in this year's election. MTFP's major donors are listed here and a current list of other supporters is available here. MTFP's news judgments are made entirely independently from donor involvement.
This material is available for republication by other media outlets under Montana Free Press' standard distribution terms.