← Election Series · Down-ballot coverage · Montana
Our call — vote NO
The measure
CI-132 is a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment on Montana's November 3, 2026 ballot. It would add one sentence to the state constitution: "Judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan." Montana judicial elections have been nonpartisan by statute since 1935-36, so the amendment changes the level of law, not the practice — what is now statute would become constitutional text, changeable only by another constitutional amendment.
What YES does
A yes vote constitutionalizes the nonpartisan status of judicial elections.
What NO does
A no vote leaves nonpartisan judicial elections in statute, where they have stood for roughly ninety years.
The math
No fiscal note for this measure was published on its Ballotpedia page.
OUR CALL
Our call: no call.
Nothing about how Montanans vote for judges changes on election day either way; the question is whether a settled statutory practice should be locked into the constitution. That is a procedural judgment about entrenchment, not a question of taxes, rights, or election integrity our rubric resolves — the elections themselves stay nonpartisan under both outcomes. We print the facts and make no call.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — Montana CI-132 measure page (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Ballotpedia — 2026 ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/2026_ballot_measures
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.