General Election To Be Conducted Via Mail Ballot
Area residents will vote through mail for this year’s general election which includes highly contested federal and statewide races.
The clerk and recorder’s office reports that ballots will be mailed to active registered voters on Oct. 9. The ballots must be received at the office, either by mail or in person, by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Residents can go to https://app. mt.gov/voterinfo/ or call 653-6250 to see if they are registered to vote. Late registration starts on Oct. 27 at the clerk and recorder’s office.
Candidates for elected offices at the ballot include: President: Donald Trump (Republican), Joseph Biden (Democrat) and Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian) U.S. Senator: Steve Bullock (D), Steve Daines (R) U.S. Representative: Matt Rosendale (R), Kathleen Williams (D) Governor: Greg Gianforte (R), Lyman Bishop (L), Mike Cooney (D) Secretary of State: Bryce Bennett (D), Christi Jacobsen (R) Attorney General: Raph Graybill (D), Austin Knudsen (R) State Auditor: Roger Roots (L), Troy Downing (R), Shane A. Morigeau (D) State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Melissa Romano (D), Elsie Arntzen (R), Kevin Leatherbarrow (L) Supreme Court Justice #5: Mike Black, Laurie McKinnon State Senator (District 16) Mike Fox (D) State Representative (District 31): Frank J. Smith (D) State Senator (District 17); Mike Lang (R) State Representative (District 34): Rhonda Knudsen (R) Clerk of District Courts/Superintendent of Schools: Jeri Toavs County Commissioner: Gordon Oelkers In addition, there are five ballot issues to be decided. C-46 seeks to modify the state constitution to specify proposed petitions for constitutional amendments from the people must be signed by at least 10 percent of the qualified electors in two-fifths of the legislative districts.
CA-47 seeks to modify the state constitution to specify proposed petitions for citizen ballot initiatives must be signed by at least 5 percent of the qualified electors in one-third of the legislative districts.
CA-118 seeks to amend the Montana Constitution to allow the legislature or the people by initiative to establish the legal age for purchasing, consuming or possessing marijuana.
LR-120 seeks to restrict a county, city, town, consolidated local government or other local government unit’s authority to regulate the carrying of firearms.
LR-120 will repeal a local government unit’s authority to prevent or suppress the possession of firearms by convicted felons, adjudicated mental incompetents, illegal aliens and minors. Federal and other state firearm restrictions would remain unchanged, including for these individuals.
I-190 seeks to legalize the possession and use of limited amounts of marijuana for adults over the age of 21. I-190 requires the Department of Revenue to license and regulate the cultivation, transportation and sale of marijuana and marijuana-infused products and to inspect premises where marijuana is cultivated and sold. I-190 establishes a 20 percent tax on non-medical marijuana.
Watch for more information in upcoming issues of this newspaper.
