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Montana · November 3, 2026 general election · Statewide ballot measure

CI-132: what your vote means

Nonpartisan judicial elections. On every Montana ballot. Official sources checked October 22, 2026.

CI-132 · Initiated constitutional amendment

Nonpartisan judicial elections

Official ballot title (quoted exactly)

CI-132 amends the Montana Constitution to require that judicial elections remain nonpartisan.

Ballot language as printed in the Secretary of State’s 2026 Voter Information Pamphlet.

A YES vote means:

A new section would be added to Article VII of the Montana Constitution stating that judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan.

A NO vote means:

The constitution would not be changed; whether judicial elections are nonpartisan would continue to be set by state law.

What it would change

  • Who is affected: candidates for judge, voters, and the legislature.
  • Where: a new Section 12 in Article VII (the judiciary) of the Montana Constitution.
  • Putting the rule in the constitution means the legislature could not make judicial elections partisan by ordinary statute.
  • Fiscal impact: No official fiscal statement is printed for this measure in the Secretary of State’s 2026 Voter Information Pamphlet.

Official arguments, summarized

Short neutral summaries of the arguments printed in the official voters’ pamphlet. The committees that wrote them are responsible for their content. Read the full text at the link below.

Argument for

Supporters say the one-sentence amendment keeps judges independent of party politics and accountable to voters rather than parties.

Written by: Jeffrey Sherlock, Craig J. Anderson, Katherine “Kitty” Curtis (approval committee)

Argument against

Opponents say it would permanently deny voters party information about judicial candidates and that the current nonpartisan system should not be locked into the constitution.

Written by: Robert “Rob” Natelson, David Knobel, Derek Oestreicher, Rep. Greg Overstreet, Duncan Scott (rejection committee)

Montana Secretary of State: 2026 Voter Information Pamphlet

Who supports it and who opposes it

These lists come from official campaign filings (registered committees) and public endorsements, each linked to its source. They are not complete, and SaveYourState does not endorse anyone listed. Lists checked October 30, 2026.

Who supports it

Not yet compiled

Who opposes it

Official sources

SaveYourState is independent and nonpartisan, not a government site, and does not take positions on ballot measures. This explainer describes effects only, using the official ballot title, explanatory statement, full text, and fiscal impact statement. If anything here differs from those documents, the official documents control.