Montana court clears way for ballot initiative
In yet another state, antiabortion politicians attempted to undermine efforts through legal technicalities related to petitioning process
As with many other parts of the country, antiabortion lawyers, politicians, and activists in Montana have sought to prevent an initiative protecting abortion rights from going on a ballot through legal strategies designed to undermine the petitioning process.
This week, a state court ruled that Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen couldn’t disqualify inactive voters, including registered voters who moved to different addresses.
The proposed amendment would prevent the state government from regulating abortion up to the point of viability. They also can’t limit abortions after that point if it’s done to save a woman’s life.
Ashley All, spokeswoman for Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, discussed what was going on there with me.
“Since the beginning, extreme politicians in Montana have done everything they can to delay, obstruct this lead, and ultimately try to block this ballot initiative from being on the November ballot, and that will continue from now until probably Election Day,” All said.
They had spent 80 days collecting signatures, needing around 60,000, stipulating that they required 40 percent of the electorate in 40 of 100 house districts. They submitted 117,000 signatures.
During a scheduled District Court hearing, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights (MSRR) and Montanans for Election Reform successfully defended the rights of Montana voters. They obtained a court order to ensure all signatures from registered voters - including those previously erroneously removed for being “inactive” - were counted. The Secretary of State agreed to the order, which stated that the Secretary broke the law when she threw out signatures of registered voters.
According to the order, qualified electors may sign petitions and be counted on petitions whether they are on the inactive voters list or not.
“We are prepared to keep fighting to make sure that Montana voters' voices are heard,” All said. “And we will continue to make sure that voters understand the truth about the initiative and also point out any misinformation from the other side.”