1974 Montana Senate election

The 1974 Montana Senate election took place on November 5, 1974, with the primary election held on June 4, 1974. Montana voters elected all 50 members of the Montana Senate. Following the landmark Reynolds v. Sims (1964) US Supreme Court decision, every state had to redraw state electoral districts to be approximately equal in population. Before Reynolds, the Montana Senate consisted of 50 members from a mix of single- and multi-member districts. After the ruling, the Montana Senate had to shift to equally populated electoral districts. In 1972, the voters of Montana ratified the current Constitution of Montana, establishing the structure of the state senate that is still used today: 50 senators each elected from a single-member district. To stagger state senate terms, senators elected in 1974 were split into two groups: half served just two years and faced re-election in 1976; the other half served full four-year terms and ran again in 1978. This setup made sure not all senate seats were up for election at once.

The election coincided with United States national elections and Montana state elections, including U.S. House and Montana House.

Following the previous election in 1972, Democrats held a 27-to-23-seat majority over Republicans. Democrats increased their majority in the legislature to 30 seats, while Republicans held 20—giving Democrats a net gain of three seats. The newly elected members served in the 44th Montana State Legislature, during which Democrat W. Gordon McOmber was re-elected President of the Montana Senate.