Montana CI-132, Require Nonpartisan Judicial Elections Initiative (2026)
| Montana CI-132 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic State judicial selection |
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| Status Cleared for signature gathering |
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| Type Initiated constitutional amendment |
Origin |
The Montana Require Nonpartisan Judicial Elections Initiative may appear on the ballot in Montana as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.
The amendment would add a new section to the Montana Constitution to require that all judicial elections are nonpartisan.[1][2]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the initiative can be read here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In Montana, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Montana also has a distribution requirement that requires proponents to collect signatures equal to 10% of the qualified electors in each of two-fifths (40) of the state's 100 legislative districts. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 60,241 valid signatures are required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures to county clerks is June 19, 2026. The deadline to submit signatures to the secretary of state was July 17, 2026.
Details about this initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[1]
- August 15, 2025: The initiative was filed by Monica Paoli and Megan Simpson.
- October 3, 2025: Petitioners filed a lawsuit against the attorney general regarding the drafted ballot language.[3]
- October 9, 2025: It was approved for signature gathering.[1]
| Court Information | |
| Issue | Whether the ballot summary written by the attorney general is accurate and neutral? |
|---|---|
| Court | Montana Supreme Court |
| Ruling | |
| Ruling | The state Supreme Court ruled that the attorney general's ballot summary was misleading and ordered the proposed summary drafted by petitioners be certified and approved for circulation. |
| Order(s) |
Order: Montana Supreme Court (November 18, 2025) Order: Montana Supreme Court (October 9, 2025) |
| Participants | |
| Plaintiff(s) | Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges and Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts |
| Defendant(s) | Montana Attorney General Austin Miles Knudsen (R) |
Summary
On October 3, 2025, Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges and Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts filed a lawsuit against Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R) arguing that the ballot language for the initiatives related to nonpartisan judicial elections was inaccurate and biased.[3]
On November 18, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the attorney general's ballot summary was misleading and ordered the state to use the ballot summary proposed by the campaign.[4]
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Montana Secretary of State, "Ballot Issues," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Constitutional Initiative 132," accessed October 14, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Montana Free Press, "Attorney general’s edits to ballot initiatives anger petitioners," October 13, 2025
- ↑ KTVH, "Signature gathering begins for ballot measure to enshrine nonpartisan judicial elections," November 20, 2025
