9th Circuit strikes down Montana's unequal distribution requirement
The green party of Montana received positive news this week as the Ninth Circuit United States District Court struck down Montana’s unequal distribution requirement for petition signatures. Photo: NBC Montana
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Green Party of Montana received positive news this week as the Ninth Circuit U.S. District Court struck down Montana’s unequal distribution requirement for petition signatures.
The restriction previously barred some Green Party candidates from election ballots.
Richard Winger, the editor of Ballot Access News, has been following this case and says the rule needed to go.
“This existing law has kept a lot of important people off the ballot in Montana. It ought to be eased,” said Winger.
Now, Green Party candidates will be able to run for office in states' elections once again.
“The Green Party was kept off for president in 2008 and 2012 and 2020, and it is the fourth biggest party in the country. It belongs on the ballot,” said Winger.
Despite the change, Winger does not believe much will change in the outcomes of elections in Montana.
“Everybody just assumes it's obvious that if the Green Party's on the ballot, that's bad for Democrats, but actually, there's a lot of objective evidence that that's not necessarily true,” said Winger.
Michael O'Neil, the communications manager for the Green Party of the United States, issued the following statement about the law change:
"The Ninth Circuit's striking down Montana's unequal distribution requirement for petition signatures is a victory for fair ballot access and voters who crave real choices on Election Day.
"The arbitrary disparity, approaching 3-1, of signatures required in some State House districts versus others barred Greens in Montana from their right to ballot access in 2018 and 2020. Democrats and Republicans' authoritarian measures to block competition from alternative parties and independent candidates has done immeasurable harm to our democracy.
"We ask all voters who want their ballots to really count, along with organizations that claim to stand for democratic values, to join the Green Party in fighting for the fundamentals of fair ballot access, fair debates, fully-public campaign finance and Ranked Choice Voting with Proportional Representation."