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Yellowstone County Sheriff

Yellowstone County, Montana

My vote power

Above average

Election date

November 3, 2026 · General election

How do we calculate my vote power?

What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.

Representation: Above average · 58 out of 100

This district is a good deal smaller than its state, so each vote here carries more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 168,957 people live here.

Show the representation math

score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(1,116,875 ÷ 168,957) ÷ ln(50,000) = 58.73, measured against a statewide vote in MT (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)

Decisiveness: Unknown

No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.

Above average representation → My vote power: Above average.

Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.

About this office

  • Running police patrols and deputies in the county
  • Running the county jail
  • Carrying out evictions, warrants, and other court orders

Affects: Immigration, Public Safety and Crime Control, Gun Control,

Candidates

Democratic · declared

Reviews cases for defense attorney teams and helps connect clients to treatment. Former Yellowstone County sheriff's office jail and patrol officer and U.S. Army veteran.

Republican · Incumbent · declared

Kent O'Donnell has been the interim Yellowstone County Sheriff since August 1, 2026. He is a longtime member of the sheriff's office, where he served as a captain.

Sources: yellowstonecountymt.gov2 · ballotpedia.org