While voters remain distracted by this year’s contentious presidential election, three bad ballot initiatives have tip-toed their way onto the Montana ballot thanks to our Supreme Court allowing signatures of “inactive voters” to count on petitions.
Initiatives, CI-126 and CI-127 would result in the largest cities in Montana controlling who gets elected due to their larger populations. For reasons unknown, urban populations often lean left, note Bozeman and Missoula. This will likely disenfranchise voters in small towns, particularly in Eastern Montana.
Voters will be less informed as primary elections will allow candidates to hide who they really are by not having to declare a political party preference. This is an ongoing problem with the Montana Supreme court races. You cannot easily tell whether judicial candidates are liberal or conservative. Consider voting for Dan Wilson and Cory Swanson to add ideological balance to the Montana Supreme Court.
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In addition, Montana voters could end up with only Republicans or Democrats on the ballot in the November general elections, limiting our choices.
CI-128 is a constitutional initiative that embeds abortion as a woman’s right. Despite its fancy wording, this anti-life amendment believes only the mother’s life has value. Unborn babies and fathers have no rights. Fathers have no responsibilities. This is morally wrong.
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Please vote no on these three bad constitutional initiatives to keep Montana elections fair, keep more babies alive and acknowledge that men have rights and responsibilities concerning an unexpected pregnancy as well.
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HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s 2026 primary election ballot is taking shape after a busy candidate filing period that drew hundreds of hopefuls.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana election team finalized the list of candidates after 380 total candidates filed between Feb. 17 and March 4. Of those candidates, 19 withdrew from their races.
Six independent candidates are still waiting to qualify via petition before being added to the general election ballot.
The following was sent out by the Office of the Montana Secretary of State:
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Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana Election Team have completed ballot certification for Montana’s 2026 Primary Election, finalizing the list of candidates who will appear before voters on Tuesday, June 2.
Pursuant to Montana law, county election administrators certify local candidates for the primary ballot in their respective counties, while the Secretary of State’s Office certifies the names and designations of statewide and state district candidates, including candidates for federal, legislative, and certain judicial offices.
The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) notified the Secretary of State’s Office and the county election administrators of any candidate(s) whose name(s) may not appear on the ballot pursuant to Montana law.
“The ballot certification process is a key step in ensuring Montana’s elections are accurate, secure, and transparent,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I’m grateful to our state election officials and the county election administrators and their teams across the state for their hard work preparing for the 2026 Primary Election.”
A total of 380 candidates filed with the Secretary of State’s Office during the candidate filing period (Tuesday, February 17 – Wednesday, March 4). Several candidates withdrew from their respective races, while Independent candidates are pending petition requirements to qualify for the general election ballot.
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Filings with the Secretary of State’s Office included:
United States Senator: Twelve total candidates filed for the office, though one withdrew and one is pending petition requirements. Five Democrats, three Republicans, and two Libertarians will appear on Montanans’ Primary Election ballots. One Independent candidate must meet Montana’s petition requirements.
United States Representative: Sixteen total filings in the 1st and 2nd Congressional races.
1st Congressional (MT-01) Ten candidates submitted paperwork for the Congressional seat – four Democrats, four Republicans, and one Libertarian. One Independent candidate must meet petition requirements. The incumbent did not file for re-election.
2nd Congressional (MT-02) Six candidates submitted filing paperwork, including the incumbent, who is the lone Republican to file for the race. Three Democrats and one Libertarian filed, while one Independent also submitted their paperwork for the race and is pending petition requirements.
Public Service Commission: Seven candidates will appear on the ballot for the two PSC seats.
PSC District 1: Two Republicans and one Democrat will appear before voters for the open seat.
PSC District 5: The incumbent is one of three Republicans to file for the seat, while one Democrat also filed.
Supreme Court Justice: Two candidates filed for the Supreme Court Justice No. 4 race – Judge Dan Wilson was the first to file for Montana’s high court, and Judge Amy Eddy followed suit later the same day.
District Court Judge: Thirteen candidates submitted filings, including several judges currently on the bench.
Legislature: The majority of candidate filings were for Legislative seats, where 329 total filings were submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 130 of which came on the opening day.
Montana State Senate: Sixty-six candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election, including more than 10 incumbents.
Montana State House: A total of 235 candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election. Three Independent candidates are pending petition requirements. Dozens of incumbents filed for re-election.
For more information, visit the candidate filing page on the Secretary of State’s website at https://sosmt.gov/elections/filing/.
Montana hasn’t elected a Democrat to the House since the late 1990s. Smokejumper Sam Forstag, who jumps out of planes into the remote wilderness to put out wildfires, is trying to change that. Forstag joins “The Takeout” to lay out his progressive campaign in the deep-red state.
