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By Adrián Carrasquillo Lecároz, program associate, Carter Center Democracy Program

I spent the 2024 U.S. general election in the mountains — but not hiking or camping. I was in Montana supporting the Carter Center’s local partner, the . MTEOI is a nonpartisan network seeking to increase trust in the state’s elections. Together, we introduced a new way for Montanans to engage in the electoral process.

Election observation helps ensure elections are free and fair. For decades, the Center has supported election observation around the world.  

But the practice isn’t common in the United States. In fact, it’s not allowed in some parts of the country. Still, to chip away at the growing distrust in elections at home, the Center has supported nonpartisan election observation in the U.S. since 2020.

In Montana, we first piloted observation in Missoula County’s June 4, 2024, primaries. After hours of training, building observer kits, and deploying volunteer observers, we pulled off the county’s first-of-its-kind comprehensive observation.

We published our findings, secured an advisory board, and partnered with at the University of Montana to expand our work statewide for Nov. 5 – Election Day.

The operation quickly ballooned to 15 times its initial size.

We had five months to recruit, train, and deploy volunteers in 15 counties to observe each step of the electoral process. From one corner of the sprawling state to the other, we met passionate citizens from all political leanings who saw this program as an exciting window into the inner workings of Montana’s elections.

Each state can run its elections . So I was in a fortunate position to see how democracy works in this part of the country, viewing firsthand the unique challenges Montana voters and election workers faced when participating in American democracy.

After our grand tour of the Big Sky State, it was time to deploy more than 150 observers. We bunkered up in a data center for 36 hours implementing something the state had never seen before, proving our network could innovatively impact elections.

MTEOI’s concludes that “Montana’s 2024 elections were secure, transparent, and well-managed, reflecting the state’s strong civic participation and commitment to democratic integrity.”

My experience reinforced three things: First, election workers do so much to make sure we can vote.  Second, there are robust checks and balances to counter manipulation. And third, voters are looking for new ways to engage in their elections.