Letter To The Editor

CI-126 Will Put More Power In The Hands Of “We the People.”

When something is no longer working for the benefit of our state and country, “we the people” have a duty to lawfully and peacefully work to reform our government.

Not long ago, Montana had a proud tradition of being a purple state. We valued the character and competence of a person running for office, over their party label. A person may be a Republican or Democrat because that’s the political philosophy they generally agreed with, but both the candidate and voters cared more about working for the good of their community, neighbors, state and country, over party. Bipartisanship was the gold standard.

Toxic hyper-partisanship has made elected officials fearful to find common ground on solutions, as they worry about losing their next Primary because they didn’t toe the party line enough. This is why we have increased dysfunction, gridlock, and chaos at all levels of government.

CI-126 allows all candidates, regardless of party, to appear on one Primary Election ballot. Then the top four vote-receiving candidates advance to the General Election, regardless of party. The General is where the most voters make their voices heard; this puts more power in the hands of “we the people” – where it should be. The alternative is the status quo, where most districts are gerrymandered (designed) to favor one of the major parties, making the Primary the only election that matters (where the fewest people vote) and the General a mere formality.

Vote Yes on CI-126 for more freedom, choice and accountability in government.

Joel Krautter

Billings