State Feed: Montana

Voter Protection Campaign Underway in Montana

Trevor Ford — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:02:34 -0400

Good news! A potential 2012 ballot measure in Montana would protect voter-passed initiatives from unilateral repeal and amendment by the State Legislature. This protection is essential in keeping the citizen initiative process effective as a tool to keep elected officials in check:

Montana: Voters can now begin collecting signatures to protect initiatives

Trevor Ford — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:58:11 -0400

State officials have given the go-ahead for backers to begin gathering signatures for a proposed 2012 ballot measure that’s intended to protect voter-passed initiatives from later changes or repeal by the Legislature. Attorney General Steve Bullock’s office informed Secretary of State Linda McCulloch’s office that the proposal is “legally sufficient,” McCulloch told the Montana Coalition for Rights, the group advocating for the measure. Constitutional Initiative 109 declares that the people reserve for themselves the right to repeal or amend any laws passed by initiative.

Read the story from the Billings Gazette

Montana: Medical marijuana campaigns can start collecting signatures

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:47:06 -0400

The state formally approved the petitions Tuesday to clear the way for medical marijuana advocates to begin gathering signatures in their attempt to suspend the more restrictive 2011 law and let voters decide its fate next year. Secretary of State Linda McCulloch notified the effort’s sponsor, the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, that Attorney General Steve Bullock had found the petition’s language legally sufficient. Her office reviewed and the ballot statements, McCulloch said.

Read the story from The Missoulian

Once in the past 18 years...

Staff — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:34:41 -0400

An interesting story out of Montana:

Montana: Groups work to block laws with petition

Wed, 18 May 2011 11:08:12 -0400

Two Montana citizen groups are trying to do what has only been done once in the past 18 years: block a bill from becoming law by petition. One group proposes to prevent sweeping changes to the state’s medical marijuana law on July 1. The other wants to block a new law that has taken effect and gives utilities the power of eminent domain over private landowners.

Read the story from the Daily Journal

Montana: Some want to see ballot initiative after new marijuana laws

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:01:41 -0400

A crowd of people lined the streets near the Whitefish Performing Arts Center on Thursday to urge Gov. Brian Schweitzer to stop a bill that is expected to effectively bring an end to the state’s medical marijuana industry. With T-shirts and placards that read, “Veto 423,” the crowd swelled to more than 200 people of all ages at one point just before Schweitzer was scheduled to speak at a forum.

Read the story from the Daily Inter Lake

Montana: Term limits repeal could go to voters

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:07:01 -0500

A state panel on Monday held hearings on two bills that would either repeal or ask voters to tweak term limits for state senators and representatives, with its sponsors saying the current system has made the Legislative branch of the government the weakest when it should be the strongest. Opponents, however, opposed the proposed legislation, saying the current system reflects a more citizen Legislature rather than a chamber filled with “professional politicians.”

Read the story from the Montana Watchdog

Montana: Turmoil cause by county attorney's attempt to override initiative

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:24:16 -0500

Can he do that? Marijuana advocates asked the question last week, when Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg said he was pushing legislation to override the 2006 voter initiative that recommends making pot the county’s lowest law-enforcement priority. “It honestly sounds like an end run around the voters’ will,” said Nathan Taub, a University of Montana student who testified against Van Valkenburg’s successful 2007 attempt to tweak the measure. “It’s politics, plain and simple.”

Read the story from the Billings Gazette

Montana Senator Wants to Make Sure Initiatives Don't Make Ballot

Staff — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:06:58 -0500

Montana state Sen. Anders Blewett wants to make sure Montana voters won’t be putting any more initiated constitutional amendments on the state’s ballot. He wouldn’t like to see any initiated state statutes on election day either. A real friend to democracy, it seems.

Montana: 'Doughnut' measure gets approval

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:55:18 -0500

A proposed referendum aimed at throwing out a revised interlocal agreement for the Whitefish “doughnut area” has been cleared for takeoff by Whitefish City Attorney Mary VanBuskirk. Supporters were given the go-ahead on Wednesday to begin collecting signatures from Whitefish city voters, Flathead County Election Manager Monica Eisenzimer said.

Read the story from The Daily Inter Lake

Montana: Consequences of ballot measure approval debated

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:16:33 -0500

A ballot initiative that caps the rate that title, payday and other lenders can charge passed last week in a landslide, and supporters say it leaves Montanans safe from becoming the prey of predatory lenders. Meanwhile, industry officials say the measure will result in the closure of more than 100 Montana businesses and the loss of several times as many jobs, in addition to leaving consumers with fewer options for credit.

Read the story from the Great Falls Tribune

Citizens in Charge Foundation President Calls on 12 States to End Unconstitutional Election Laws

Staff — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:43:47 -0400

Last week Citizens in Charge Foundation - a partner organization to Citizens in Charge - sent a letter to Secretaries of State and Attorneys General in 12 states asking them to stop enforcing unconstitutional restrictions on ballot initiative rights. In light of recent legal action in which Kansas officials agreed with petition advocates that the state’s law against petition circulators from other states was unconstitutional, Foundation President Paul Jacob asked officials to “do the right thing” and stop enforcing similar

Montana: Payday loan measure debate continues

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:46:02 -0400

The “Cap The Rate” Initiative on the Montana ballot is getting a lot of attention in this off-year election. But, there’s more to Montana Initiative 164 than what meets the eye. Supporters of I-164 say the measure will protect Montanans from predatory lenders who charge up to 400% annual interest on short-term, emergency loans.

Read the story from KXLF 4

Montana: Measure will stay on ballot judge rules

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:50:50 -0400

District Court Judge Jeffery Sherlock on Monday ruled that Initiative 161 qualifies for the upcoming election despite efforts to stop it. The Montana Outfitters and Guides Association filed suit against the Secretary of State’s office and Sportsmen For I-161, claiming that initiative sponsors gathered signatures illegally.

Read the story from KRTV 3

Montana: Debate in Missoula over initiative

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:21:58 -0400

The proposed ballot initiative that would do away with outfitter-sponsored non-resident hunting licenses will be the topic of a discussion hosted by the Missoula County Democrats on Tuesday evening. The language of I-161 calls for abolishes “outfitter-sponsored nonresident big game and deer combination licenses, replacing the 5,500 outfitter-sponsored big game licenses with 5,500 additional general nonresident big game licenses”.

Read the story from KPAX 8

Montana: Voters have a chance to change constitution

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:42:50 -0400

Next month, Montana voters will decide whether to call a Constitutional Convention. If approved, delegates would rewrite the state’s 38-year-old Constitution. Missoula County Clerk and Recorder Vicki Zeier is getting ready for the election. The Constitutional Convention isn’t the most prominent ballot initiative. Zeier says, “it’s pretty low. I actually have not been getting many calls about what this means or why it’s on the ballot.”

Read the story from NBC Montana

Montana: Initiative will stay on ballot judge says

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:16:03 -0400

A district judge ruled Thursday that an initiative to cap interest rates on payday loans will stay on the Nov. 2 ballot in Montana after opponents failed to prove signatures had been improperly gathered. The state certified the initiative known as CI-164 after supporters turned in the signatures of 27,421 registered voters in 54 districts.

Read the story from Forbes.com

Montana: Opponents give testimony on petition fraud claims

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:20:47 -0400

Opponents of Initiative 164, who want it yanked from the November ballot, on Thursday in a courtroom here painted a picture of a petition drive to qualify the measure that illegally conducted contests among signature gatherers, lied about the industry it would affect and notarized signatures before people actually signed the petition. The state, meantime, challenged them to come up with even one invalid name out of the 27,000-plus signatures approved by the Montana Secretary of State’s Office that would put the issue in the hands of the state’s voters.

Montana: Trial could boot initiative from ballot

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:32:15 -0400

A trial will begin Thursday in Polson on the “pay-day” lending industry’s attempt to remove a measure imposing new limits on the industry from the Nov. 2 ballot. The suit says Initiative 164 supporters used deceptive and illegal practices to get I-164 on the ballot. I-164 opponents sued the state in August, claiming that signature-gatherers made false statements about the measure’s content, in order to persuade people to sign petitions that qualified I-164 for the ballot.

Montana: Interest rate cap will go to voters

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:34:53 -0400

An initiative going before voters this fall would put stronger restrictions on the controversial payday loan and title loan industries, to the point that industry representatives say it would put their stores out of business. And that’s not a bad thing for those who think the companies are little more than modern-day loan sharks.

Read the story from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle