Montana reproductive rights group sues Secretary of State

Several groups fighting to get a constitutional ballot amendment that would permanently enshrine reproductive rights, specifically abortion, in the Montana Constitution have followed through on a threat to sue the Montana Secretary of State for rejecting signatures without cause.

The groups, including a coalition called Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights as well as the leaders of an initiative that would widen primary elections in the state, have sued in Lewis and Clark County District Court. They are asking for an injunction that would prohibit the Secretary of State’s Office from rejecting signatures on ballot initiatives simply because a voter is listed as “inactive” according to the state’s database.

The groups say that thousands of legitimate signatures and names have likely been removed because of an administrative decision by Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, a Republican. Attorneys for the group, which includes Raph Graybill, currently a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, say that there’s no provision in Montana law that would disqualify a resident from signing a petition if they are listed as “inactive” in a state database. Furthermore, the groups claim that after the signatures were turned into the Secretary of State’s Office, staff there made the decision that had the potential to invalidate thousands of signatures.