For first time since '72, no initiatives make ballot

HELENA — Secretary of State Linda McCulloch said Monday that no citizen initiatives obtained enough voter signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

That’s the first time that’s happened in more than four decades.

“We haven’t had a general election ballot without a citizen initiative on the ballot since 1972,” McCulloch said. “That’s the same year voters approved the current Montana Constitution.”

To place a statutory initiative for the ballot requires the signatures of 5 percent of the total registered Montana voters or 24,175 signatures, including those of 5 percent of the voters in 34 of the 100 state House districts.

Qualifying a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot takes the signatures of 10 percent of the total registered voters or 48,349 signatures, including 10 percent of the voters in 40 of the 100 state House districts.

McCulloch attributed the failure of groups to qualify initiatives to one factor.

“Absentee voting has probably changed things,” McCulloch said. “Signature gatherers usually set up shop outside polling places for school and primary elections, and now there just aren’t as many people around to sign the petitions.”

The 2013 Legislature placed two referendums on the 2014 ballot.

One is a proposed constitutional amendment to change the name of the office of state auditor to the commissioner of securities and insurance.

The other is a proposed change in law to end voter registration at 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day, which is on Tuesday. It would change a 2005 law that has allowed people to register to vote up until 8 p.m. on Election Day and then cast their votes.

In all, people, groups or corporations tried to place four proposed constitutional amendments and eight law changes on the ballot through initiatives.

The unsuccessful included proposals that sought to expand Medicaid in Montana; ban all marijuana, including medical marijuana, in Montana; and to prohibit trapping of certain animals on any public lands in the state.

Another unsuccessful proposal would have reclassified property of cable companies, particularly that of Charter Communications, for property tax valuations. As part of an agreement with the state Revenue Department to settle a long-standing tax dispute, Charter dropped the initiative effort.

Backers of the measures had to submit their signatures to county election officials on June 20.

They in turn had until 5 p.m. on Friday to submit certified signatures for constitutional and statutory initiatives to McCulloch’s office.

Final totals Monday showed that Initiative 169, one of the anti-trapping measures, had 8,887 signatures, or 37 percent of what was needed, for the most of any initiative. It qualified in eight of the 34 House districts.

Next was I-172, the effort by Charter to change its property valuation for taxes. It had 7,490 signatures or 31 percent of what was needed and qualified in eight out of 34 House districts.

Backers of I-174, which sought to ban all marijuana in Montana, including medical marijuana, gathered 3,659 signatures, or 15 percent of the total needed, and qualified in two of the 34 House districts.

Supporters of I-170, the Medicaid expansion measure turned in only 382 signatures, or 2 percent of the total needed, and didn’t qualify in any of the 34 House districts required.

Some of the groups later abandoned their initiative efforts after announcing them.

Footloose Montana, backers of another anti-trapping measure, I-167, dropped its effort. The group said it lacked the time to gather signatures this year. It is not connected with I-169.