Tag: montana
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Petitions rejected in recall effort against Montana mayor
Two recall petitions filed in Montana against Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey this month were rejected by the office of the Ravalli County Clerk over issues with how the petitions were filed. State statutes also limit new recall efforts from moving forward until petitioners reimburse expenses from an earlier recall election against the same official. Dewey…
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Montana governor signs bill adding restrictions to the initiative process
On May 14, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed House Bill 651 into law. Both chambers of the legislature passed the bill along party lines in the last week of April. All Republicans but one were in favor and all Democrats were opposed. House Bill 651 changes the laws governing the initiative process in Montana…
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Montana State Legislature sends ballot measure to change the state supreme court election process to 2022 ballot
Voters will decide in 2022 on a measure to change the election of state supreme court justices in Montana from nonpartisan statewide elections to by-district elections. The measure would not remove any sitting state supreme court justice. Associate justices would be assigned district numbers according to their seat number, and the chief justice would be…
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New apportionment data released – six states gain congressional seats, seven states lose seats
On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau released it post-2020 census apportionment counts. Six states—Texas (two seats), Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon—gained seats. Seven states—California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—each lost a seat. Of the six states that gained congressional seats, three are Republican trifectas (Texas, Florida, and…
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Montana voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to require a search warrant to access electronic data in 2022
On April 22, the Montana State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to the 2022 ballot that would require a search warrant to access electronic data or electronic communications. The amendment would also state that electronic data and electronic communications would be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before…
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Montana legislature sends law to require medical care for infants born alive after an attempted abortion to 2022 ballot
The Montana State Legislature put a measure on the November 2022 ballot that would require medical care to be provided to infants born alive after an attempted abortion by classifying them as a “legal person” with “the right to appropriate and reasonable medical care and treatment.” The healthcare provider that violates this requirement by not…
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Four states have ended their statewide mask requirements
New Jersey became the first state to implement a statewide mask order in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on April 10, 2020. Seven other states implemented mask orders later in April 2020 and, in total, 39 states have issued statewide mask requirements at some point during the pandemic. In recent weeks, states have begun…
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Newly elected Montana state executives take office; state becomes Republican trifecta and triplex
On January 4, Governor Greg Gianforte (R), Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras (R), Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R), and Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R) took oaths of office in Montana. Each won election in the general election on November 3, 2020. Gianforte’s victory returned control of the governorship to Republicans (from previous Democratic governor Steve…
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Greg Gianforte elected governor of Montana
Greg Gianforte (R) defeated Mike Cooney (D), Robert Barb (G), and Lyman Bishop (L) to win election as governor of Montana. Gianforte is the first Republican elected to the office since 2000. Gianforte is the state’s current representative in the U.S. House, while Cooney is the current lieutenant governor. This is the first of the…
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Two Montana Supreme Court seats are up for nonpartisan election in November
The seats of Montana Supreme Court Justices Laurie McKinnon and Jim Shea will be up for a nonpartisan election in November. Jim Shea is running uncontested while McKinnon is running in a race with Mike Black. McKinnon was last elected in 2012 while Shea was appointed in 2014 and elected in 2016. Two of Montana’s…