Part 1: Ballot Initiatives
The upcoming general election will take place on Tuesday, November 8, with candidates for the US House of Representatives, US Supreme Court, and MT Congress on the ballot. There will also be two ballot initiatives LR-131 and CA-48. Absentee Ballots get mailed out on October 14.
Check voting information here: https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo. If you are not registered to vote, need to update your address, or request an absentee ballot you can do so in person at the Yellowstone County Courthouse.
What the heck is CA-48?
A constitutional amendment as a ballot initiative is created by the legislature and sent to voters to decide.
CA-48: Requires a search warrant to access a person’s electronic data.
Voting NO (opposing CA-48) means: Voting for this supports law enforcement ability to access any aspect of a person’s electronic data (like texts and website history, etc.) without a search warrant.
Voting YES (supporting CA-48) means: Voting for this supports law enforcement should get a search warrant before accessing electron data (like texts and website history, etc.) and you believe a constitutional amendment should be used to enforce it.
Read the amendment language: https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/SB0203.pdf
What the heck is LR-131?
A legislative referendum is a type of ballot initiative, a proposed law that is given straight to the voters to decide.
To learn the logic behind the law read this:
https://montanafreepress.org/2022/09/23/what-does-montanas-lr-131-have-to-do-with-abortion/
LR-131: Medical requirements for ‘born-alive’ infants.
The measure would require medical care to be provided to infants ‘born alive’ by classifying a born-alive infant as “a legal person for all purposes under the laws of the state . . . entitled to the protections of the laws, including the right to appropriate and reasonable medical care and treatment.” The law would require infants that are born alive after an induced labor, a cesarean section, or another method to receive medical care.
Currently, Montana law states that a person commits an offense if they “purposely, knowingly, or negligently cause the death of a premature infant born alive, if the infant is viable.” If passed, this law would primarily impact families dealing with inductions due to serious unforeseen medical conditions of the infant and/or the pregnant person.
Voting NO (opposes this law) means:
- Montanans are allowed to make private medical decisions about their health care.
- A family maintains the right to determine the level of care they want provided in consultation with their medical team.
- Medical professionals are allowed to exercise their best medical judgment without fear of prosecution or penalty.
Voting YES (supports this law) means:
- That infants born alive at any stage of development are legal persons.
- Medical care is required to be provided to infants born alive after an induced labor, cesarean section, or another method.
- A $50,000 fine and/or 20 years in prison is established as the maximum penalty for violating the law.
Language for explanation taken from Forward MT (https://forwardmontana.org/congress-supco/)
Read the referendum language: https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/HB0167.pdf