Organizations funded almost exclusively by out-of-state dark money dollars are trying to foist radical election reform on Montanans. These groups advocate for CI-126 and 127, which would establish a “final four” voting system in which the top four primary candidates, regardless of their party affiliation, advance to the general election. CI-127, which mandates either a runoff election or ranked-choice voting unless a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, addresses a nonexistent problem – our current election system already consistently produces majority winners.
These initiatives are a blatant attempt to undermine the will of Montana’s people as expressed through our constitution and duly elected representatives. Article IV of Montana’s constitution says that “the person or persons receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected.” To reinforce this constitutional provision, in 2023 our elected representatives passed and signed into law a bill which bans ranked-choice voting from all local, state, and federal elections in Montana.
It seems these interest groups believe that when Montanans say “No,” they can still force their policies on us by just paying their way onto the ballot.
Stay strong Montana by rejecting CI-126 and 127 in November.
Randy Brodehl
Flathead County Commissioner