The Ballot Brief
Deer Lodge County, Montana

Public Service Commission District 5

See where Bukacek and Hamm stand on roads and the environment. Names follow official Deer Lodge County election filings. Certified results will appear here once the election office certifies the count. Montana certifies the general election by November 30, 2026; county canvasses are due November 17. Official results: electionresults.mt.gov.

About this race

Republican incumbent Annie Bukacek faces Democrat Kevin Hamm for the Public Service Commission District 5 seat, per the Montana Secretary of State's certified candidate list. This district covers only part of the county; the seat appears only on ballots inside the district.

What this office does

Public service commissioner. The public service commission regulates investor-owned electric, gas, water and, in some states, telephone utilities. Commissioners approve or deny rate increases, rule on power plant and pipeline proposals and set service standards. Their decisions reach every utility bill in the state.

This race. Elected by district: only voters who live in the district see this race on their ballot. The sitting officeholder, Annie Bukacek, is on the ballot.

This list comes from official election records but may be incomplete. It can miss, for example, late or petition candidates and some city, school and district races. Your official sample ballot is the final word.

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

Montana › Deer Lodge County › Public Service Commission District 5

Who won? The official answer comes November 30.

Montana makes results final in three steps.
✓
Done · Nov 3
Votes were cast and counted
Election night totals are a first count, not the final one.
2
Happening now · by Nov 17
Deer Lodge County double-checks its count
The county reviews mail ballots, provisional ballots and any recount, then sends official totals to the state.
3
Next · Nov 30
Montana makes it official
The Board of State Canvassers certifies the result. The winner appears on this page that day.

What local news is reporting

Not official yetUpdated November 4, 2026

This report is cited to the outlet that published it. We do not call races. Official running count: Montana official results.

Public Service Commission District 5
No report found yet

Reports are checked daily until Montana certifies on November 30; a certified winner replaces the report on that day.

Annie Bukacek

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From other published sources

  • On new data centers, wants to ensure existing residential and small business customers are not saddled with any share of a data center's energy costs, per Montana Free Press candidate questionnaire
  • On the proposed NorthWestern and Black Hills utility merger, supports the Commission's standard process of collecting public comment and building as complete an evidentiary record as possible before deciding, per Montana Free Press candidate questionnaire
  • Notes the Commission is one of Montana's smallest state agencies and has suggested additional funding could support hiring more industry experienced examiners, per Montana Free Press candidate questionnaire
Biography

Annie Bukacek, of Kalispell, is a physician with more than forty years of experience who operates a small medical practice and holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, per the Flathead Beacon. She has served as the District 5 Public Service Commissioner since 2022 and previously served on the Flathead City-County Board of Health, per the same source and the Commission's own website.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Kevin Hamm

Democratic

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Opposes the Commission's recent decision to raise NorthWestern Energy's residential base rates and to shift more risk for the utility's energy buying decisions onto ratepayers, and wants a commission that prioritizes families over utility profits
  • Wants the state to build out wind, solar, and storage capacity as part of Montana's electricity generation future
Biography

Kevin Hamm is a small business owner and community organizer who has called Montana home since childhood, per his campaign site. He has served on community boards including the Queen City Ballet and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, and founded the Happiness and Joy Foundation, a nonprofit that has directed the Montana Pride celebration for more than a decade. He founded Studio 19 in 2010, which manages live video production for Frontier Conference athletics and streaming for Carroll College, and later launched Auxilyum Technologies, an information technology support company for small businesses, per the same source.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)
Next on the ballotMontana House District 71

See your full ballot

Your address is only used to match your districts.

Voting info and more

Voting info and more
Questions about this race

Who is running for Public Service Commission District 5 in 2026?

2 candidates were tracked for Public Service Commission District 5 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Annie Bukacek and Kevin Hamm. Candidate information follows official Deer Lodge County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below. See where they stand on roads and the environment.

When is the Public Service Commission District 5 election in Montana?

Election Day was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Certified results will appear on this page as the election office certifies them. Montana certifies the general election by November 30, 2026; county canvasses are due November 17. Official results: https://electionresults.mt.gov/. Voting rules for Montana are on the Montana election hub at theballotbrief.com.

How do I see my exact Deer Lodge County ballot?

Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.

Who won the Public Service Commission District 5 race?

Not yet reported by the outlets we checked; Montana certifies on November 30. We do not call races.

Verify this race

Candidate roster from official Deer Lodge County and state election office filings. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.

Cross-check with the official Montana election office, or see the full Deer Lodge County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.

The rest of your Deer Lodge County ballot

3 tracked races in Deer Lodge County, Montana. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.

Also on the November 3 ballot
Montana House District 76See all 3 Deer Lodge County races
Candidate profiles
Annie Bukacek, full profileKevin Hamm, full profileOfficial Montana election office