Montana

Disability advocates, state disagree over Montana State Hospital patient voting

Published

1 year ago

October 24, 2024

Disability advocates, state disagree over Montana State Hospital patient voting

HELENA — An advocacy organization and state officials are now involved in a legal battle over whether people committed to the Montana State Hospital should be allowed to vote.

Earlier this month, Disability Rights Montana joined in a lawsuit, arguing that many patients at the hospital met the legal requirements to vote but have been “systematically disenfranchised.” In their complaint, the organization alluded to long-running concerns about patient safety and staffing at MSH, and said patients deserve to have a voice in electing officials who oversee the facility.

“Voting allows any qualified elector to have a seat at the table and have a say in our state’s policies,” said Tal Goldin, Disability Rights Montana’s director of advocacy and attorney for the plaintiffs, in a news release. “Voting is one of the only powers patients at the State Hospital have to influence the most private decisions about their lives, including who they associate with, where they live, and what happens to their bodies. People with disabilities who meet all legal requirements to vote deserve the same opportunity to have their voices heard as any other Montana citizen.”

The Montana State Hospital, located in Warm Springs, near Anaconda, provides psychiatric treatment to people with serious mental illness. Some have been committed to the hospital through a civil procedure, while others have been sent there for treatment as part of a criminal sentencing.

The Montana Constitution says that people are not qualified to vote if they’re “serving a sentence for a felony in a penal institution” or “of unsound mind, as determined by a court.” The state has interpreted that to mean that people convicted of felonies can vote when on parole, probation or deferred sentence, but not when they’re in a correctional facility or the state hospital.

A patient at MSH, committed there after being sentenced for a felony, filed suit after he attempted to register to vote in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County and the county elections administrator rejected his application. In the suit, plaintiffs argued the state hospital is not a “penal institution,” and that people committed there should not be assumed to be “of unsound mind” unless a court specifically determines that.

The complaint said this patient’s right to vote and “the voting rights of all involuntarily committed individuals at the Hospital who otherwise meet the qualifications to vote—convicted felons or not—are in jeopardy unless the Court declares their rights as requested herein.”

A district court judge issued a temporary restraining order, allowing the plaintiff to register to vote.

However, Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office announced Tuesday that he had issued a binding legal opinion, stating that people convicted of a felony and placed at MSH are not eligible to vote. Knudsen argued that those criminally committed to the hospital are only held as long as their maximum prison sentence, earn time served while in the facility and can be sent to another correctional facility with no change in their status.

“All of these indicia show that when a person is at MSH, they are as a practical matter, ‘serving a sentence for a felony in a penal institution’ even if they are primarily receiving medical treatment while they are at MSH,” Knudsen wrote.

Knudsen argued that the constitution guarantees people in state institutions don’t have fewer rights than others in similar situations because of their mental illness, but that allowing this group to vote would essentially give them more rights than others convicted of the same crimes.

An attorney general’s official opinion has the weight of law unless it is overruled by a court.

Knudsen’s office also filed a motion seeking to overturn the temporary restraining order.

“The law is clear, convicted felons lose their right to vote while they are serving their sentence,” Knudsen said in a statement. “Serving time at Warm Springs while being treated for mental illness does not restore that right.”

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Montana

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

Published

11 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a proposed ballot measure intended to simplify the process for introducing ballot measures in the future.

Justices ruled 5-2 that the measure, currently called Ballot Issue #8, did not violate state requirements that a single constitutional amendment can’t make multiple separate changes to the Montana Constitution.

“We’re very grateful to the Montana Supreme Court for agreeing with us that the attorney general’s finding of legal insufficiency for Ballot Issue #8 was incorrect,” said SK Rossi, a spokesperson for Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring the measure.

Montanans Decide argues the Montana Legislature has passed laws making it harder for the public to propose and pass ballot issues. The Montana Constitution already guarantees the people the right to pass laws and amendments through ballot measures, but Ballot Issue #8 would expand that to include a right to “impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes” for proposing those measures. It would seek to prevent “interference from the government or the use of government resources to support or oppose the ballot issue.”

Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office argued the measure “implicitly amended” multiple provisions in the state constitution, including by limiting the “power and authority of public officials to speak officially on ballot issues that affect those officials’ public duties” and by putting restrictions on judges and on the Legislature. Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring Ballot Issue #8, disagreed – and the majority of justices sided with them.

“Its provisions operate together to define and protect a single constitutional right—the people’s exercise of initiative and referendum,” wrote Justice Katherine Bidegaray in the majority opinion. “They are closely related components of one constitutional design.”

Bidegaray’s majority opinion was joined by Justices Jim Shea, Laurie McKinnon, Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson.

Chief Justice Cory Swanson and Justice Jim Rice each wrote dissenting opinions, saying they would have upheld Knudsen’s decision to disallow Ballot Issue #8. Rice said the language restricting government interference with a ballot issue was not closely related and should have been a separate vote. Swanson agreed with Rice and said the measure’s attempt to fix a timeline for legal cases surrounding ballot measures was also a separate substantial change.

In a statement, Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Knudsen’s office, reacted to the decision.

“This decision only further muddies the courts’ jurisprudence on ballot issue questions,” he said. “This initiative would violate the separate vote requirement by amending multiple parts of the Montana Constitution, but the court contradicted its prior rulings. Attorney General Knudsen will continue to neutrally apply the separate vote requirement in his review of ballot initiatives.”

The court’s decision means that Knudsen’s office will now need to approve ballot language for Ballot Issue #8. Once that language is finalized, Montanans Decide could begin gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

However, last year, sponsors of another initiative went to the Supreme Court to argue that the ballot statements Knudsen prepared were misleading. If Montanans Decide object to their ballot statements, that could further delay signature gathering while the case plays out in court.

“Regardless, we’re going to push as hard as we can to get those petitions into the hands of voters and let them sign and support if they so choose,” said Rossi.

Rossi said the legal battle this measure has gone through – and the possibility of more to come – shows why Ballot Issue #8 is needed.

“The state Legislature, and also statewide elected officials, have taken every opportunity to create burdens and hurdles and rigamarole for campaigns to get through in order to just get to the signature gathering phase, and then to get through the signature gathering phase onto the ballot, and then get through the election phase,” said Rossi. “The reason we filed this initiative is just to make sure that the process is simple, that the timeline is clear, and that Montanans can have their will heard when they want to propose and pass laws that they deem worthy.”

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Montana

Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

Published

23 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

HELENA, Mont. — Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is running for Montana’s Western Congressional District seat, entering the race a day after U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he would not seek reelection.

Jacobsen’s announcement sets up a new contest for the open seat after Zinke, a Republican, said he would seek reelection.

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“As your Secretary of State, I’ve stood up to Washington overreach, defended election integrity, and delivered real results for Montanans. In 2020, voters gave me a mandate to clean up our elections, grow Montana business, and push back against radical liberal special interests. I delivered. Now it’s time to take that same results-driven, America First leadership to Congress.”

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 2, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing

06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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