Montana News
Groups sue over rejected signatures for state ballot measures
With Montana News, I'm Austin Amistoy. Groups backing measures on abortion access and election reform sued Montana's Secretary of State yesterday. They claim the state is illegally rejecting some signatures on ballot petitions. Montana in Securing Reproductive Rights says Secretary of State Christy Jacobson is instructing county election officials to throw out petition signatures from people who fall on the state's inactive voter list. The group argues the signatures of people who are registered to vote but haven't cast a ballot recently should still count. Akila Diernose leads ACLU of Montana and represents the group backing the Abortion Access ballot initiative. You don't lose your right to vote or to have a say just because you registered to vote and then missed an election or two. That is not how our democracy functions. The dispute comes as counties across the state verify tens of thousands of signatures for ballot initiatives including one on abortion access and two proposing changes to Montana's election procedures. Lewis and Clark County election supervisor Connor Fitzpatrick says the guidance on inactive voters is new this election cycle and came after counties had already begun counting signatures. It was a bit of a surprise across the board, I'd say. Fitzpatrick says it's unclear how many signatures may now be thrown out. Backers of the abortion access petition say they submitted nearly double the more than 60,000 signatures needed to put the amendment on the ballot. Lawyers for Montana and securing reproductive rights in a letter demanded Secretary Jacobson reverse the guidance, but the secretary's chief legal counsel Austin James declined. In a response letter, he said Montana law requires people to have up to date voter registration for their petition signature to count. County election offices have until July 19 to count petition signatures. The lawsuit filed by Montanans for election reform says thousands of signatures could be deemed invalid due to the secretary's new guidance. The plaintiffs are asking a Lewis and Clark County district court judge to restore signatures from inactive registered voters. I'm Austin Amistoy and you're listening to Montana Public Radio.