Bill > HB375

This bill revises statewide ballot issue laws by introducing a new legislative poll process for statewide initiatives. Specifically, within 5 working days after the petition signature submission deadline, the secretary of state must mail a ballot to each state legislator for every statewide initiative. The ballot will include a copy of the initiative petition and require legislators to choose whether they support, do not support, or have no position on the initiative. Legislators can return their votes through various methods like in-person delivery, mail, fax, or email, and cannot change their vote once submitted. The secretary of state will tally the votes within one working day of the return deadline. Furthermore, the bill mandates that the voter information pamphlet and official ballot must now include a summary of the legislative poll results, displaying the majority vote within each political party (such as "Most Republican legislators voted to support/oppose/not take a position on [initiative]"). These changes aim to provide voters with additional context about legislators' perspectives on ballot initiatives before an election, potentially helping voters understand their representatives' stances on key issues.

Government Affairs

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1734