Op Ed: What Montanans Requested in 2025 - And What They Didn't

As the year comes to a close, we’ve taken a look back at the questions Montanans brought to us in 2025. Each request offers a window into the kinds of information people know they can ask their government for, and the gaps show what you might not think to request but still have a right to access. Taken together, the requests we received and those we didn’t show how public records can help resolve problems and that many avenues for understanding our state and local governments remain untapped.

The most common requests were those related to local governments. This year, we helped requestors inqu...