Montana Voter Approval for Nuclear Facilities Referendum (2022)
| Montana Voter Approval for Nuclear Facilities Referendum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Nuclear issues and Energy | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Referendum | Origin Citizens |
The Montana Voter Approval for Nuclear Facilities Referendum was not on the ballot in Montana as a veto referendum on November 8, 2022.
The initiative would have repealed House Bill 273 (HB 273) passed during the 2021 legislative session that removed the voter approval requirement for the construction of nuclear facilities that generate 50 megawatts of electricity or more. The voter approval requirement was enacted by I-80 in 1978.[1][2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ |
IR-126 repeals House Bill (HB) 273 passed by the 2021 Montana Legislature. HB 273 repealed the requirement that Montana voters approve the construction of new nuclear facilities in Montana that generate 50 megawatts of electricity or more. HB 273 also repealed the strict owner liability and safety requirements imposed on only nuclear facilities. These requirements had been in effect since I-80 passed in 1978. IR-126 would put back into law the requirement that Montana voters approve the construction of new nuclear facilities in Montana that generate 50 megawatts of electricity or more and the strict owner liability and safety requirements imposed on only nuclear facilities. [ ] YES on Referendum 126 [ ] NO on Referendum 126[3] |
” |
Full text
- The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Montana, the number of signatures required to qualify a veto referendum for the ballot is equal to 5 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 5 percent of the votes cast for governor in each of one-third (34) of the state's 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 a veto referendum certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 25,468 valid signatures were required.[4]
- Deadline: Six months after adjournment of the legislature which passed the targeted legislation.
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 first petition was filed on May 28, 2021. A second version was filed on June 18, 2021.[2]
- The petition was cleared for signature gathering on September 15, 2021.[2]
- On November 2, 2021, the secretary of state announced that the referendum did not submit a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the ballot.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Montana Secretary of State's Office, "Full text," accessed September 17, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Montana Secretary of State's Office, "List of petitions," accessed August 5, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The exact number of signatures will be determined after the 2020 gubernatorial election.
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State of Montana Helena (capital) |
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