CONSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVE NO. 133
Pamphlet fetched from a county website mirror (Richland County) of the SOS Voter Information Pamphlet; sosmt.gov copy not directly fetched.
Montana Voter Information Pamphlet includes arguments and rebuttals written by the approval and rejection committees; MT ballot statements carry no separate fiscal statement in the pamphlet for these measures.
GAP-FILL 2026-10-10: fiscal_impact: the official Voter Information Pamphlet and ballot carry no fiscal statement for this issue. Under MCA 13-27-227 a fiscal note is prepared only if the budget director finds one necessary, so none was published.
CONSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVE NO. 133 A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION The Montana constitution reserves to the people the powers of initiative and referendum. CI-133 amends the constitution to secure this fundamental right from interference by the government. Specifically, CI-133 requires impartial, predictable, open, and timely processes for ballot issues. Petitions and ballot statements must be approved within 90 days of the initial submission, and legal challenges to ballot qualification must be resolved before the deadline for finalizing ballots. CI-133 requires the state to allow ample time for signature gathering, prohibits disqualification of petitions because of minor or technical issues, allows voters to withdraw their signatures if they so choose, and prohibits the use of government resources to support or oppose a ballot measure.
A YES vote would APPROVE amending the Montana Constitution as proposed.
A NO vote would make NO CHANGE to the current Montana Constitution.
Not published by the state
Not published by the state
Vote yes on CI-133 to protect your right to propose and vote on laws that affect your life without government interference. CI-133 guarantees a fair, transparent, and timely ballot measure process. What it means to vote YES on CI-133: • • • YES on CI-133 protects the ballot measure process and safeguards your fundamental right to propose, vote on, and veto laws without government interference. YES on CI-133 bans the government from taking sides on ballot measures and using taxpayer money to sway your vote. YES on CI-133 requires impartial, predictable, open, and timely processes for approving petitions and ballot statements, resolving legal challenges, gathering signatures, and verifying signatures. Lobbyists and outside interests have too much influence in Helena. That’s why we need CI-133. It protects citizens’ right to pass laws without interference from a government that caters to special interests and their money. Ballot measures give voters the power to keep the government accountable to us, not lobbyists. Ballot measures are how citizens come together to protect and preserve what makes Montana great. Montana citizens across the political spectrum have passed ballot measures to protect our right to hunt and fish, cap taxes, protect public lands, restrict lobbying, expand access to healthcare for kids, raise the minimum wage, and keep the government out of our private, family medical decisions. By voting YES on CI-133, we protect the mechanism Montana citizens use to pass laws that protect and preserve Montana values. Ballot measures give Montanans the voice we need to act as a check on government overreach. Ballot measures aren’t just for passing laws, they allow citizens to veto bad laws when the government goes too far. We all deserve the chance to veto government overreach into our lives. CI-133 protects the right of "Citizens Veto" from government interference so we can have the final say without government putting its fingers on the scales. Vote YES on CI-133 to protect our citizen initiative process and preserve Montana for ourselves and future generations.
Approval Committee: Raphael Graybill, Jason Small, Tara Veazey
Rejection Committee: Senator Wylie Galt, Randy Brodehl, Representative Greg Overstreet, Charles Robison
Vote NO on Constitutional Initiative No. 133. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Montanans cherish our constitutional right to initiative and referendum, but CI-133 complicates our rights with a wordy and unnecessary amendment. It undermines representative government and invites abuse of the ballot process. CI-133 is a trojan horse for billionaires and out-of-state special interests to simply purchase the laws they want. The fact that CI-133 is on the ballot, along with numerous other initiatives, is pretty good evidence that Montana has a healthy initiative process. Why would we “fix” a system that isn’t broken? Why complicate a process that works for Montanans? Just vote no. CI-133 restricts the ability of elected officials and courts to protect voters from flawed or deceptive measures. It handcuffs the Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Montana Supreme Court from doing basic due diligence. Passing laws and constitutional amendments should not be taken lightly. When an initiative passes, it becomes binding law for a minimum of two years before it can be changed or undone. Montana’s current process – including financial and legal reviews – ensures initiatives are constitutional, transparent, and won’t bankrupt the state. CI-133 scraps these commonsense protections, making it easier for well-funded special interests and paid signature gatherers to place poorly-drafted measures on the ballot. The ballot initiative constitutional right was originally designed so Montana citizens can directly vote on popular ideas when elected officials aren’t responsive to voters’ desires. Today, though, special interests have discovered the process also allows them to simply purchase the laws that they want, if they spend enough money. Ballot initiatives are becoming a “cottage industry,” according to the Helena Independent Record. It’s so common nowadays that it even has a standard price tag: $1 million. “That’s why in at least the last four election seasons, nearly every proposal that has made it onto the ticket has done so with the added manpower of paid signature gatherers, most of whom are working for companies that collect north of $1 million for their work on a single initiative in Montana…a run-of-the-mill price these days,” reports the Helena IR. CI-133 follows the same pattern. Out-of-state special interests spent $1 million to get CI133 on your ballot, as the Helena IR also reported. One of us writing this argument against CI-133 – Sen. Wylie Galt – went through the initiative petition process earlier this year myself. While I ultimately decided not to pursue my initiative all the way to finish line, I can personally vouch that the process was not overly difficult. As a rancher, I fix broken things all the time. Montana’s ballot initiative process is not broken. Our system works. CI-133 is unnecessary. CI-133 would remove all reasonable checks and balances on the ballot initiative process. That’s a winning proposal for groups with $1 million or more to spend buying the laws they want, but it’s a loser for Montanans who have to live under those laws. Vote NO on CI-133.
Rejection Committee: Senator Wylie Galt, Randy Brodehl, Representative Greg Overstreet, Charles Robison
Approval Committee: Raphael Graybill, Jason Small, Tara Veazey
Both columns use the same layout. Text is quoted from the official state guide. Views expressed belong to the argument authors.