Page 24 - Flathead Beacon // 6.11.14

24 | JUNE 11, 2014
OPINION FLATHEADBEACON.COM

LIKE I WAS SAYIN’ Kellyn Brown
TWO THOUGHT
FOR Local Topics,
Opposing Views
Failing Factions
Montana’s Voting Laws

T
HE RECENT REPUBLICAN PRIMARY By Tim Baldwin
By Joe Carbonari
election results provided plenty to argue about. They

were a referendum on conservatives or moderates. On June 3, 33 percent of the voters voted To feel included, as full members, with
More Democrats crossed over to inluence the GOP results. for Ryan Zinke for U.S. House. Sixty-six voted full rights in our “community,” we need
Contests had candidates with similar views syphoning votes for another candidate, and only about 30 per- to have a meaningful voice in how, and by
from each other and allowing others to prevail. The results cent of the voting population even cared to whom, it is run. We would prefer that our of-
varied widely.
vote at all. Yet, Zinke is headed to the gener- icials thought a lot like us. We also like them
In the Flathead, at least, a few candidates considered al election as the Republican candidate. This to be efective at the job – ideology aside.
more moderate won a few races, while others, considered election demonstrates a fundamental prob- Locally, prevailing political thought

more conservative, also prevailed. It was a mixed bag and lem with our election laws.
tends to the “conservative,” and in our pri-
it’s diicult to discern a clear-cut trend.
First, our laws destroy the purpose of po- maries only a little above one in four of eli-
In one of the most closely watched local legislative races, litical parties and primary elections. To illus- gible voters cast a vote. Those who voted tend
Speaker of the House Mark Blasdel easily defeated former trate, Democrats can and do prevent Republi- to be, on average, more active or “extreme”
Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher, 67 to 33 percent, in the race can candidates who are loyal to the principles than the populace as a whole. This is true of
for the Senate District 4 seat. Also, Phil Mitchell more than of that party from getting elected by voting on both “liberals” and “conservatives.” Not sur-
doubled up on incumbent Flathead County Commissioner the Republican ballot. Looking at the number prisingly, candidates tend to relect this skew
Cal Scott. Both of the winners could be considered the more of voters who voted on the Republican versus as well. Those whose views tend to be more to

conservative candidate, but their lengthy portfolios extend Democrat ballot, this is what happened on the middle of the electorate’s as a whole often
beyond that.
June 3.
don’t win their primaries.
As speaker during the last Legislative session, Blasdel Second, our laws are anti-Democratic. In- Ryan Zinke’s winning is an exception.
led the chamber to unanimous passage of the state’s prima- stead of sending to the general election a can- He may have won because some Republican
ry budget. Following the vote, he praised the “smooth, acri- didate against whom 66 percent of the voters votes were cast in ideological “error,” but it’s
mony-free loor session” and the “bipartisan cooperation.” voted, we should require candidates to receive also possible that a plurality of the voters
His tenure as speaker drew accolades from Republicans and a majority of votes or face a run-of of the top- thought it through and considered him the

Democrats alike.
two vote getters.
best man for the job – value of his “conserva-
“I think the world of him and I’m so proud of how he’s Zinke has stated he wants to unite the Re- tism” duly considered.
run the House” Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso said of his publican Party. This seems rather outlandish It is also possible that cross-over voters
colleague. In other words, Blasdel is hardly a conservative when 66 percent of the voters did not vote for from the Democratic side played a signiicant
irebrand.
him and when 70 percent of Montana’s voting part. No doubt there were some that felt that
For Mitchell’s part, he served on the Whiteish City population did not vote at all. Until we change Zinke was strong enough, or that Rosendale
Council and, while he campaigned for commission on his our election laws, I don’t think “unity” will be or Stapleton weak enough, to warrant it. If
conservative credentials, he also emphasized the impor- on most Montanans’ minds.
that were so, then perhaps our system works

tance of community involvement in regard to pressing is- well, and it can work both ways.
sues like the water compact, Whiteish doughnut and Agen- GUESTCOLUMN | SteveBullock
cy on Aging.
In other races, those considered more moderate Repub- The Importance of Early Childhood Education
lican candidates were victorious. Dr. Albert Olszewski de-
feated Mike Hebert in the House District 11 race, 52 to 48
percent; and Frank Garner easily defeated Ronalee Skees in There are a lot of great things happening in Mon- money and contribute more tax dollars.
the House District 7 contest, 74 to 26 percent.
tana: our economy is growing; we’ve added 10,000 For at-risk children who do not participate in

In the run-up to the primary, former and current law- jobs this year alone; businesses are expanding; we high-quality early education, the numbers are chill-
makers were vocal about the importance of the primary. Sen. have strong communities and an unmatched qual- ing – and for policy-makers, expensive: 25 percent
Bruce Tutvedt openly touted “responsible Republicans” who ity of life; and graduation rates are up, dropout rates more likely to drop out of school; 40 percent more
could pass legislation instead of promote “rhetoric and grid- are down, and more and more students are pursuing likely to be a teen parent; 60 percent more likely to
lock” like many of his party’s more conservative members. higher education.
never attend college; and 70 percent more likely to
He threw his support behind Fisher, Garner and Olszewski.
With all of the good things that are happening in be arrested for a violent crime.
On the other side, Kalispell Sen. Verdell Jackson (who the state, there is one important piece of the puzzle By giving our children an Early Edge, we can

couldn’t run for reelection due to term limits) called the up- missing. While 42 other states make consistent in- reduce the absenteeism of working parents, lower
coming Legislature “the most important session since I was vestments into pre-kindergarten and early child- crime rates for juveniles and adults, develop work-
elected to the Montana House in 1999.” He called Tutvedt’s hood programs, Montana remains in the shrinking ers with more skills, attract and retain better em-
faction “irresponsible” and urged voters to choose Blasdel, minority of states that have never invested in the ployees and new businesses to communities, build
Skees and Hebert.
human capital of our earliest learners.
a stronger future workforce, and increase earnings
In the end, local voters in the Republican primary didn’t This isn’t just a social issue; this isn’t just an ed- and tax revenues for employees and employers.
listen very well. They chose some moderates, conservatives ucational issue; this is fundamentally an economic It’s time that Montana catches up with the rest
and some candidates who fall somewhere in between.
issue.
of our nation and makes meaningful investments in

Despite the reoccurring storyline that there is a rift in This past week, 150 business leaders joined Den- our earliest learners.
the Republican Party, voters appeared to simply choose who nis and Phyllis Washington at the Business Lead- That’s why I am working on a proposal for the
they thought were the strongest candidates and didn’t fol- ers Summit on Early Childhood Education, held in 2015 Legislature for voluntary, universal preschool,
low any noticeable patterns.
Missoula. They were there because, as Art Rolnick, open to all four-year-olds. The plan will include:
Sure, analysts can comb the numbers and speculate the retired Sr. Vice President of the Federal Reserve highly-qualiied teachers and staf; safe and nurtur-
about the results, especially in the U.S. House race, where Bank of Minneapolis has said, “The best investment ing learning environments; family engagement and
former Whiteish Sen. Ryan Zinke won the Republican in economic development that government and the wrap-around services; and developmentally appro-

nomination with just 33 percent of the vote. Corey Staple- private sector can make is in the healthy develop- priate curriculum that aligns with what kids will
ton and Matt Rosendale – considered more conservative op- ment of children.”
learn in kindergarten.
tions – garnered 29 and 28 percent respectively. Would one And it’s not just economists and social scientists I am calling on every Montanan with a stake
of them have won if the other had dropped out? Perhaps, but that have reached this conclusion. Business leaders in our future to join me in giving our kids an Early
Zinke didn’t exactly sound like a moderate during the U.S. from across the nation have taken notice that every Edge. Talk to your legislators, colleagues, neigh-
House primary debates.
$1 spent on high-quality pre-k programs creates $7 bors, and business leaders; tell them that early edu-
Republican leaders voiced their opinions on the priori- in future savings to the communities and states that cation is right not only for our children, but for our
ties and values of their party moving forward. At this point, invest. They know that children with high quality economy and workforce. And tell them it’s right for

however, it appears voters are reluctant to coalesce around early learning opportunities are more likely to read Montana.
one faction or another.
at grade level, graduate from high school, earn more
Steve Bullock is the governor of Montana.