蒙大拿州选民可在2026年决定, 是否让司法选举成为无党派选举, Montana voters may decide in 2026 whether to make judicial elections nonpartisan after a ballot initiative cleared initial hurdles.

蒙大拿州的司法选举无党派化, 已被批准开始收集2026年投票的签名. A campaign to make Montana’s judicial elections nonpartisan, known as CI-131, has been approved to begin gathering signatures for a 2026 ballot measure. 该倡议由争取公平和公正法院的蒙大拿人牵头,旨在修订州宪法,要求最高法院和地区法院法官进行无党派选举。 The initiative, led by Montanans for Fair and Impartial Courts, seeks to amend the state constitution to require nonpartisan elections for Supreme Court and district court judges. 政府官员于9月26日批准提案, 允许九个月收集约60,000份有效签名。 State officials cleared the proposal on September 26, allowing nine months to collect about 60,000 valid signatures. 这一努力是在2025年共和党立法试图在司法竞赛中采用党派标签之后进行的,尽管这些法案失败。 The effort follows Republican legislative attempts in 2025 to introduce partisan labels in judicial races, though those bills failed. 该倡议必须通过多次审查,包括总检察长的审查,后者的作用目前受到法律挑战。 The initiative must pass multiple reviews, including by the Attorney General, whose role is currently under legal challenge. 支持者说,这项措施保护司法独立,而这一进程反映了选民主导的改革的更广泛的全国性趋势。 Supporters say the measure protects judicial independence, while the process reflects a broader national trend of voter-led reforms.