Montana CI-127, Majority Vote Required to Win Elections Initiative (2024)

Montana Majority Vote Required to Win Elections Initiative
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic Elections and campaigns and Electoral systems
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

Montana CI-127, the Majority Vote Required to Win Elections Initiative, was on the ballot in Montana as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported requiring that candidates for the following offices must receive a majority of votes (instead of just a plurality) to win the election, as specified by law: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, state legislature, and Congress.

A "no" vote opposed requiring candidates to win a majority of the vote to win the election, thereby maintaining current law where a candidate must receive a plurality of the vote.

Election results

See also: Results for ranked-choice voting (RCV) and electoral system ballot measures, 2024

Montana CI-127
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		228,908	39.62%
No		348,805	60.38%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What would CI-127 have changed about elections in Montana?

See also: Text of measure

The initiative would have required that a candidate for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, state legislature, and congressional offices win a majority of the vote (rather than a plurality) to win the election, as provided by law. The state legislature would have needed to pass a law providing for an electoral system with majority vote winners. Examples of majority-vote systems include runoff elections and ranked-choice voting.

As of 2024, state offices in Montana were elected in a plurality system, where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if the candidate did not receive a majority of the vote.

Do other states have majority voting systems?

See also: Background

A majority voting system is an electoral system in which the winner of an election is the candidate that received more than half of the votes cast. In the event that no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. For this reason, majority systems are sometimes referred to as two-round systems.

Three states—Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana—require runoff elections in a general election when no candidate receives a majority of the vote.

Was there another measure related to election policy on the Montana ballot this year?

Montanans for Election Reform collected signatures for two election-related ballot initiatives. Along with CI-127, CI-126 was also on the ballot. The initiative was designed to establish top-four open primaries for elections for governor, lieutenant governor, state executives, state legislators, and congressional offices, in which all candidates would run in one primary and the top-four vote-getters would advance to the general election regardless of party.

Montanans for Election Reform raised $4.2 million from groups including Article IV, which describes its mission as “improving the health of American democracy by instituting reforms that align citizens’ interests with politicians’ incentives,” and Unite America, which supports “nonpartisan election reform to foster a more representative and functional government.”

What did supporters and opponents say about the measure?

See also: Support and Opposition

Former Republican State Rep. Frank Garner was one of the initiatives’ primary sponsors. Garner said, “We know Montanans are fed up with divisive politics, inflammatory rhetoric and an unwillingness to work across the aisle to find solutions to the real challenges facing Montana’s families. It’s time for a change.”

Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R) opposed the initiatives. She said, “I have serious concerns with the efforts funded with dark money to impose Ranked Choice Voting. It is a very deceptive practice and would undermine all of our efforts to secure our elections in Montana. It would also create serious voter confusion and frustration.”

2024 ballot measure trend

See also: State ballot measure trends, 2024

Montana CI-127 was part of a state ballot measure trend related to electoral systems in 2024.

The ballot initiative has played a prominent role in proposing changes to state and local electoral systems across the United States. In 2024, voters decided on a record number of statewide ballot measures on ranked-choice voting (RCV), all of which were rejected. In Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, voters rejected measures to adopt RCV. In Alaska, voters decided on an initiative to repeal RCV, which was adopted in 2020. Voters in Washington, D.C., approved a ranked-choice voting initiative. In Missouri, voters approved a constitutional amendment that would preempt RCV.

There were other electoral system changes on the ballot, some of which could have led to the adoption of RCV. In Arizona, Proposition 140 would have replaced partisan primaries with primaries in which candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, appear on a single ballot and a certain number advance to the general election, such as top-two or top-four primaries. Arizona Proposition 133, on the other hand, would have prohibited systems like top-two and top-four primaries, meaning Proposition 133 and Proposition 140 were competing measures. Both were rejected. In Montana, voters rejected two electoral system measures, one to adopt top-four primaries and another to require a majoritarian vote system for general elections, such as run-off elections or RCV.

In South Dakota, voters defeated Amendment H, which would have replaced partisan primaries with top-two primaries.

State	Type	Title	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
AK	IndISS	Ballot Measure 2	Repeal the top-four ranked-choice voting (RCV) system that was adopted in 2020		160,230 (50%)	160,973 (50%)
AZ	LRCA	Proposition 133	Require partisan primary elections for partisan offices and prohibit primary elections where all candidates, regardless of political party affiliation, run in the same primary election, such as top-two, top-four, and top-five primaries		1,286,640 (42%)	1,763,711 (58%)
AZ	CICA	Proposition 140	Require primaries in which candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, appear on a single ballot and a certain number advance to the general election, and require general election candidates to receive a majority of votes		1,284,176 (41%)	1,823,445 (59%)
CO	CISS	Proposition 131	Establish top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Colorado		1,385,060 (46%)	1,595,256 (54%)
DC	Initiative	Initiative 83	Establish ranked-choice voting for elections in Washington, D.C.	a	212,332 (73%)	78,961 (27%)
ID	CISS	Proposition 1	Establish top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal, state, and certain local offices in Idaho		269,960 (30%)	618,753 (70%)
MT	CICA	CI-126	Establish top-four primaries for federal and state offices in Montana		287,837 (49%)	300,664 (51%)
MT	CICA	CI-127	Require an electoral system in which candidates for certain offices must win a majority of the vote, rather than a plurality, to win the election		228,908 (40%)	348,805 (60%)
NV	CICA	Question 3	Establish top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Nevada		664,011 (47%)	747,719 (53%)
OR	LRSS	Measure 117	Establish ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Oregon		893,668 (42%)	1,219,013 (58%)
SD	CICA	Constitutional Amendment H	Establish top-two primaries for federal, state, and certain local offices in South Dakota		141,570 (34%)	270,048 (66%)

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for the initiative was as follows:

“

CI-127 amends the Montana Constitution to provide that elections for certain offices must be decided by majority vote as determined as provided by law rather than by a plurality or the largest amount of the votes. If it cannot be determined who received a majority of votes because two or more candidates are tied, then the winner of the election will be determined as provided by law. CI-127 applies to elections for governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, state representative, state senator, United States representative, United States Senator, and other offices as provided by law. [] YES on Constitutional Amendment CI-127 [] NO on Constitutional Amendment CI-127

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article IV, Montana Constitution

The measure would have amended Section 5 of Article IV of the Montana Constitution. The following struck-through text would have been deleted and underlined text would have been added.The following underlined text would be added.

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Section 5. Result of elections. (1) As used in this section, the term “covered office” means the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, state representative, state senator, United States representative, United States senator, and other offices as provided by law.

(2) In all elections held by the people for an office other than a covered office, the person or persons receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected.

(3) In all elections held by the people for a covered office, the person receiving a majority of votes as determined as provided by law shall be declared elected. If it cannot be determined which person received a majority of votes because two or more persons are tied, the elected person shall be determined as provided by law.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The initiative proponents wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 16, and the FRE is 22. The word count for the ballot title is 113.

Support

Montanans for Election Reform led the campaign in support of CI-126 and CI-127.

Supporters

Organizations

• Action Now Inc
• Article IV
• RepresentWomen
• Sixteen Thirty Fund
• United America PAC

Arguments

• Former State Rep. Frank Garner (R), the sponsor of the initiatives: "We know Montanans are fed up with divisive politics, inflammatory rhetoric and an unwillingness to work across the aisle to find solutions to the real challenges facing Montana’s families. It’s time for a change. Voters deserve more choice, more competition."
• Former State Sen. Tom Jacobsen: "We’re concerned about the increasing divisiveness in our politics. We can change the structure of how we elect people to better ensure that elected officials are accountable to a majority of their constituents."

Opposition

Montanans for Fair Elections registered to oppose CI-126 and CI-127.

Opponents

Political Parties

• Libertarian Party of Montana
• Republican Party of Montana

Organizations

• Fair Elections Fund
• Montana Freedom Caucus
• Montanans for Limited Government
• Restore Liberty

Arguments

• Montana Libertarian Party: "These Constitutional Initiatives will not provide more choices for Montana voters. They will strengthen the Uniparty, which tried to remove us from the ballot last legislative session."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Montana ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through November 25, 2024.

Montanans for Election Reform was the ballot measure committee leading the campaign in support of the top-four primary initiative (CI-126) and the majority vote requirement to win elections initiative (CI-127). The committee reported $23.1 million in contributions.

Montanans for Fair Elections registered to oppose CI-126 and CI-127. The committee reported $36,595 in contributions.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$23,107,834.97	$1,554.62	$23,109,389.59	$22,997,747.64	$22,999,302.26
Oppose	$36,595.01	$0.00	$36,595.01	$39,554.95	$39,554.95
Total	$23,144,429.98	$1,554.62	$23,145,984.60	$23,037,302.59	$23,038,857.21

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the initiative.

Committees in support of CI-127
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Montanans for Election Reform	$23,107,834.97	$1,554.62	$23,109,389.59	$22,997,747.64	$22,999,302.26
Total	$23,107,834.97	$1,554.62	$23,109,389.59	$22,997,747.64	$22,999,302.26

Donors

The following were the top donors to the support committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Article IV	$18,175,000.00	$0.00	$18,175,000.00
Unite America PAC	$2,100,000.00	$0.00	$2,100,000.00
Action Now Inc	$185,000.00	$0.00	$185,000.00
Sixteen Thirty Fund	$130,250.00	$0.00	$130,250.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to the initiative.

Committees in opposition to CI-127
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Montanans for Fair Elections	$36,595.01	$0.00	$36,595.01	$39,554.95	$39,554.95
Total	$36,595.01	$0.00	$36,595.01	$39,554.95	$39,554.95

Donors

The following were the top donors to the opposition committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Montana Red	$10,000.00	$0.00	$10,000.00
Randy Brodehl	$8,000.00	$0.00	$8,000.00
Ray Thompson	$4,000.00	$0.00	$4,000.00
Stanley Pine	$4,000.00	$0.00	$4,000.00

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Background

Electoral systems in Montana

See also: Electoral systems in Montana, Plurality voting system, and Majority voting system

State offices in Montana are elected in a single-winner plurality voting method.

Plurality voting system

A plurality voting system is an electoral system in which the winner of an election is the candidate that received the highest number of votes. The candidate need not win an outright majority to be elected. This system is sometimes referred to as first-past-the-post or winner-take-all. This is the most common voting system used in the United States.

Majority voting system

A majority voting system is an electoral system in which the winner of an election is the candidate that received more than half of the votes cast. In the event that no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. For this reason, majority systems are sometimes referred to as two-round systems.

Three states—Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana—require runoff elections in a general election when no candidate receives a majority of the vote. In every other state, a candidate can win a general election with a plurality of the vote.

Ranked-choice voting

See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)

One type of election system that requires candidates to receive a majority of the vote is ranked-choice voting (RCV). A ranked-choice voting system (RCV) is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. The most common type of RCV is instant-runoff voting. In instant-runoff voting, if a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, he or she is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. Ballots that ranked a failed candidate as their first, or highest choice, depending on the round, are then reevaluated and counted as first-preference ballots for the next highest-ranked candidate in that round. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of the ballots. The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority. Elements of this process, such as the number of candidates eliminated in each round, may vary by jurisdiction.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Montana

The state process

In Montana, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Moreover, signature collection must be distributed such that petitions include signatures equal to 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in each of two-fifths (40) of the state's 100 legislative districts in the last gubernatorial election. Petitioners have a maximum of one year to collect signatures and get them verified by county elections officials.

The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2024 ballot:

• Signatures: 60,359 valid signatures
• Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures to county clerks was June 21, 2024. The final deadline for county clerks to submit signatures to the secretary of state was July 19, 2024.

County election officials check each signature to make sure the name corresponds to the name of a registered voter. Then they use a 5 percent random sampling method to check the authenticity of the signatures. Signature petitions are then sent to the secretary of state, which certifies the measure for the ballot if enough valid signatures were submitted.

Details about this initiative

• The initiative was filed by Rob Cook, Frank Garner, Bruce Tutvedt, Doug Campbell, Ted Kronebusch, and Bruce Grubb on October 5, 2023.
• The initiative was approved for signature gathering on January 5, 2024.
• Sponsors submitted signatures for the initiative on June 13, 2024.
• The initiative was certified for the ballot on August 22, 2024.

Signature gathering cost

See also: Ballot measures cost per required signatures analysis

Sponsors of the measure hired Landslide Political to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $1,027,183.50 was spent to collect the 60,359 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $17.02.

The campaign spent a total of $2,054,367.00 collecting a total of 120,718 required signatures for both CI-126 and CI-127 and it is impossible to discern the specific amount spent on each initiative individually. The total cost divided in two would result in a CPRS estimate for each initiative at $17.02.

Montanans for Securing Reproductive Rights and Montanans for Election Reform signature validity lawsuit

  

Lawsuit overview
Issue: Whether the Secretary of State's office improperly altered the signature verification process and improperly rejected signatures from inactive (but registered) voters
Court: Lewis and Clark County District Court
Ruling: Ruled in favor of plaintiffs
Plaintiff(s): Montanans for Securing Reproductive Rights and Montanans for Election Reform	Defendant(s): Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R)
Plaintiff argument: The campaigns argued that Jacobsen improperly changed signature verification processes that automatically rejected the signatures of inactive (but registered) voters. The campaigns argued that registered voters, despite their active or inactive status, are qualified electors able to sign petitions.	Defendant argument: The Secretary of State's office argued that registered voters who are considered inactive are not eligible to have their signatures counted.

  Source: NBC Montana

Montanans for Securing Reproductive Rights and Montanans for Election Reform, sponsors of three ballot initiatives targeting the 2024 ballot (the abortion initiative, top-four primary initiative, and majority vote requirement for elections initiative), filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R) in Lewis and Clark County District Court. The campaigns alleged that Jacobsen improperly changed signature verification processes that automatically rejected the signatures of inactive (but registered) voters. The campaigns argued that registered voters, despite their active or inactive status, are qualified electors able to sign petitions. The Secretary of State's office argued that registered voters who are considered inactive are not eligible to have their signatures counted.

On July 26, 2024, the Montana First Judicial District Court ruled that voters who are classified as inactive voters are still qualified electors under state law for the pruposes of signing and counting signatures on proposed ballot initiative petitions. The court ordered county elections offices to count the signatures of inactive voters.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Montana

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Montana.

How to vote in Montana

Poll times

In Montana, polling place must be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., although in areas with fewer than 400 registered voters, polling places may open as late as 12:00 p.m.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Montana, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a non-temporary resident of Montana for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the election. People serving a felony sentence in a penal institution and those who have been declared by a court to be of unsound mind are not eligible to vote.

An individual can register to vote in person by completing a registration application at their county election office. They can register by mailing the application to their county election administrator or submitting it when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state ID. Applicants may also register to vote at their county election offices, certain designated locations, or at their designated polling location on Election Day.

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Montana does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Montana does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Montana allows same-day voter registration. An eligible voter may register before noon on Election Day.

Residency requirements

In order to register to vote in Montana, applicants must have lived in the state for at least 30 days prior to the election. Montana law says an individual does not gain residency if they relocate for, "temporary work, training, or an educational program, without the intention of making that county or the state the individual's permanent home at the conclusion of the temporary work, training, or educational program."

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Montana does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site My Voter Page, run by the Montana secretary of state’s office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Montana requires voters to present identification while voting.

Montana's voter identification requirements are outlined in Section 13-13-114 of Montana Code. The law states, "Before an elector is permitted to receive a ballot or vote, the elector shall present to an election judge one of the following forms of identification showing the elector's name that is current, valid, and readable:"

“

(i) a Montana driver's license, Montana state identification card issued pursuant to 61-12-501, military identification card, tribal photo identification card, United States passport, or Montana concealed carry permit, or student photo identification card issued by the Montana university system or a school that is a member of the national association of intercollegiate athletics; or (ii) (A) a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document that shows the elector's name and current address; and (B) photo identification that shows the elector's name.

”

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Elections and campaigns on the ballot
• Electoral systems on the ballot
• 2024 petition deadlines

Montana

• Montana ballot measures
• Montana initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Montana Secretary of State: 2024 ballot issues
• Montana CI-127 full text