It’s action time for the most consequential election of the last 100 years. Absentee ballots have landed in mailboxes, so it’s essentially Election Day until Tuesday, Nov. 5. In my multi-part series on how to survive election year, we’ve almost made it. Campaigns are in their final and furious weeks, filling the final days with rallies and even more pleas for support. In Montana, we have a full ballot from top to bottom: we’re electing candidates for the U.S. Presidency, U.S. Senate, and Congress. Statewide, there are several competitive races, including the battle to unseat current Gov. Greg Gianforte, the incumbent, against Kalispell’s Ryan Busse. There are many seats for the Montana Legislature up for grabs, key official positions from the Office of Public Instruction to the Secretary of State to the State Auditor are also on the ballot. Further down the ticket are elections for the State Supreme Court, local District Court positions, and three constitutional amendments.
It’s a lot, isn’t it? Yes, it is. This November, voters could make wide swaths of change across the federal, state, and local levels. You’ve likely heard that the fate of the U.S. Senate now falls on Montana with Senator Jon Tester’s race for reelection against political newcomer Tim Sheehy. And for the third time in eight years, voters will determine Donald J. Trump’s political fate. It feels as if every single ballot choice hinges upon the success or derailment of our nation, and I hope voters are taking this responsibility seriously. In a state that is reeling with a drastically changed landscape thanks to an explosion in population growth, an increase in property tax rates, and drastically rising home costs, Montana has an opportunity to redirect the state from Helena to the Flathead Valley.
A few weeks ago, while walking between buildings on the Flathead Valley Community College campus, I overheard a student conversation that went roughly like this: “I don’t like politics,” said student number one. Student number two replied, “Well, politics likes you.” I can’t think of a more succinct response, nor a truer one. I understand the first student’s position: There isn’t often a lot to like about politics, especially as it’s warped into hyper-partisan political theater with attention devoted to famous figures and less emphasis on the type of governance that improves our lives. The second student made a wise quip: politics does like you. It tends to like it when you don’t pay attention, whether that’s when a state’s attorney general’s office is plagued with a series of scandals for the past four years or the public education crisis, fromlfilling hundreds of educator openings across the state to a loss of leadership within the office’s highest ranks. Those who govern without competence, a concern for the public good, and an ability for bipartisan compromise are the ones who like it when you don’t pay attention.
We might ignore the political ads that rant and rave across our TV or computer screens and political fliers that likely get dumped into the recycling bin, but I feel certain that Montanans are certainly paying attention this year. Citizens led the initiatives for election reform (CI-126 and CI-127) to improve the system and to allow voters to vote for the candidates they want in the primary, not the party. The third constitutional initiative is CI-128, prohibiting the government from intruding on personal decisions about pregnancy, including abortion. These three initiatives are a strong example of how Montanans want to improve and protect its citizens, from improving the election process to reproductive health care.
Be sure to cast your vote. It’s election action time.