Montana Definition of Person Amendment (2026)
| Montana Definition of Person Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Abortion | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Montana Definition of Person Amendment is not on the ballot in Montana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.
The measure would have amended the state constitution to provide that the word "person" applies to 'all members of mankind at any stage of development, beginning at the stage of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency" and that "no cause of action may arise as a consequence of harm caused to an unborn baby by an unintentional act of its mother."[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text is available here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Montana Constitution
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required in both the Montana State Senate and the Montana House of Representatives.
House Bill 316 (2025)
The following is the timeline of the constitutional amendment in the state legislature:[2]
- March 26, 2025: The House passed the amendment in a vote of 58-41 with one member absent. Since the amendment requires a 66.67% vote of both chambers (support from 100 of the 150 total members in both the House and Senate), the amendment requires at least 42 yes votes in the Senate to appear on the ballot. The Senate is composed of 32 Republicans and 18 Democrats.
- April 18, 2025: The Senate voted on HB 316. The vote margin was 33-17. It did not receive the necessary 42 "yes" votes to be referred to the ballot.
| Votes Required to Pass: 66.67% | |||
| Yes | No | NV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 58 | 41 | 1 |
| Total % | 58.0 | 41.0 | 1.0 |
| Democratic (D) | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| Republican (R) | 58 | 0 | 0 |
| Votes Required to Pass: 66.67% | |||
| Yes | No | NV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 33 | 17 | 0 |
| Total % | 66.0 | 34.0 | 0.0 |
| Democratic (D) | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Republican (R) | 32 | 0 | 0 |
See also
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External links
Footnotes
