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Letter

CI-126 Is Simple, Not Complicated

It gives voters the freedom to vote for whoever they want, regardless of party

By Mary Sexton, Doug Campbell & Frank Garner

Constitutional Initiative 126 (CI-126) will change primary elections so that all qualified candidates of all parties appear on one single ballot in June and all voters have the freedom to choose between them. Up to four candidates for each office will then move on to the November election.

Right now, voters in Montana are forced to choose one party’s ballot to vote in primary elections – even though they might prefer candidates from different parties for different offices. CI-126 gives voters the freedom to vote for whoever they want, regardless of party.

CI-126 does not change how candidates affiliate as a Republican, Democrat, or third-party candidate on the ballot. It simply allows voters to choose between all qualified candidates. If a voter prefers to vote a straight party ticket, they can continue to do so. But for the over 40% of Montanans who consider themselves independent, CI-126 gives them the ability to vote for any candidate in the primary, regardless of party.

Opponents of CI-126 want Montanans to believe they aren’t smart enough to research more than one or two candidates and make informed choices about who to vote for. They instead want us to rely on political parties to tell us what to do. We disagree. We believe Montanans should have more and better choices on the ballot and the freedom to choose candidates aligned with our values, regardless of party.

While opponents want political parties and special interests to have the greatest influence in Montana’s elections, we believe voters should be in charge.

Who’s Behind CI-126

CI-126 was brought to the ballot by a broad, bipartisan coalition from across the state. Over 100,000 Montanans signed the petition to place CI-126 on the ballot, and hundreds of everyday Montanans have chipped in to get the message about CI-126 in front of voters.

Real challenges facing Montana families like rapid growth and rising cost of living are going unsolved because politicians feel accountable to political parties and special interests, not us as citizens. We need elected officials who focus their energy on solving these problems, not just winning their next election.

It’s time to put the power over our Montana elections back in the hands of Montanans. A system that forces Montanans to choose just one partisan ballot in primary elections unfairly restricts our choices and limits our ability to hold politicians accountable and make sure they are responsive to a majority of Montanans.

CI-126 is a simple, common-sense change to our election system brought to you by Montanans who have had enough of a broken political system. CI-126 allows candidates of all parties to run in one primary election, letting Montana voters choose the candidate we like best for every office, regardless of party. This puts Montana voters first, and we encourage every Montana voter to vote YES on CI-126 so we have better choices, more voice, and greater accountability in our elections.

Mary Sexton, Doug Campbell and Frank Garner are on the approval committee of CI-126.