Open primaries give voters more control

A pair of constitutional initiatives to restructure Montana’s voting system with an open primary are likely headed for the November ballot.

Supporters of CI-126 and CI-127 last week touted their work to gather more than 200,000 signatures in support of the measures to establish ranked choice voting in state and federal elections. The signature total far exceeds the threshold to have the issues put to a vote, with support coming from more than 40 legislative districts — showing clear interest among voters statewide.

The measures work in tandem. CI-126 would create a top-four open primary system, while CI-127 would require candidates to win a majority of votes in the general election.