Lawsuit filed after Montana’s secretary of state changed signature rules for citizen initiatives

Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Two organizations that gathered voter signatures to qualify proposed constitutional amendments for the Montana ballot have filed a lawsuit alleging that the secretary of state changed the rules about whose signatures may be accepted after the signatures were gathered and while county election officials were verifying them. District Court Judge Mike Menahan has set a hearing Tuesday in Helena on a motion seeking to block the changes and allow the signatures of inactive voters to be counted toward the number needed to qualify the issues for the November ballot. County election officials must verify signatures and forward the totals to the secretary of state’s Office by next Friday.