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Politics & State Government

Ballot Initiatives in Montana: How Citizens Put Measures on the Ballot

Montanans can propose laws and constitutional amendments directly. The signature rules and steps, explained.

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An Official Absentee Ballot Drop Box in Madison, Wisconsin (United States).
Photo: Michael Barera via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Image cropped.

The Montana Constitution reserves to the people the power to propose laws and constitutional amendments.

Signature requirements

  • Statutory initiative (a proposed law): signatures from at least 5% of qualified electors, including 5% in at least one-third of state House districts (34 of 100).
  • Constitutional initiative: at least 10% of qualified electors, including 10% in at least two-fifths of House districts (40 of 100).
  • Referendum (to refer a law passed by the Legislature to voters): 5% statewide, including 5% in one-third of House districts.

The base is the number of votes cast for governor in the most recent general election.

The steps

Proposals go through review, including a legal-sufficiency review by the Attorney General and a ballot-statement process, before signature gathering is approved. County election offices verify the signatures. The Secretary of State publishes deadlines for each election cycle.

Note

The Legislature has changed parts of this process in recent sessions, and some changes have been challenged in court. Check the Secretary of State’s current guidance.

Find more stories in our Politics & State Government section.

Sources