Coalition Launches the Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN)  6/16/05  New organization will counter right-wing groups like ALEC by bringing together progressive state legislators throughout America and pushing concrete progressive policies. Common Dreams

  Democrats building team of leaders  6/14/05  Montana's fastest growing political organization, the Big Sky Democrats, is creating a buzz statewide throughout the Democratic Party. Big Sky Democrats is a newly established group of young people who are working to organize all Democrats, especially those of college and post-college age, and involve them in local, state and national politics in an effort to promote the ideals and philosophies of the Democratic Party. Billings Gazette

  Nafta's Tarnished Reputation Hurts Bush on Central America Pact   6/13/05  Senator Max Baucus of Montana, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, says that ``people wonder what benefits they've gotten'' from Nafta and the series of trade agreements that followed. Baucus who voted for Nafta, last week called on the Bush administration to renegotiate Cafta. ``People are angry,'' he says. ``They find these agreements suspect.''  Bloomberg.com

Voting rights in Indian Country, 6/13/05 Native American Times guest editorial by Janine Pease.  Voting rights in Montana is highly contentious in Indian Country, on and near the reservations. The American Indian voters have sought and received protection under the Voting Rights Act, particularly since the amendments of 1975 and 1982. The results can be seen in American Indian school board members, county commissioners and in the Montana legislature. Montana is known nationally, among American Indians, for the progress achieved in voting rights.

Montana has an American Indian population of 7.32% (self-identification of only American Indian/Alaska Native AND American Indian/Alaska Native and other race). The population is young, 38% under 18 years of age, and growing rapidly. Two of our Montana counties are a majority American Indian; Glacier County and Big Horn County. Three more counties are approaching 50% American Indian in population: Blaine, Rosebud, and Roosevelt. Native American Times

We Don't Want No Wimps 'Round Here 6/12/05 Western Democrats said they were thrilled Dean attended a regional meeting in Helena, Montana, last weekend. "How many Democratic chairmen have gone out to Montana?" asked Steven Alari of California.

"When we elected Dean we knew we were getting a leader who would be good at organizing the base and getting the message out to the American people, and that's what he's doing," Alari said. "He's our guy."  Capitol Hil Blue

  MSU professor proposes shrinking Legislature, eliminating term limits 6/10/05 If one Montana State University political science professor had his way, he would cut the number of state lawmakers voters sent to Helena by half.

Instead of sending 150 lawmakers to the Legislature, Jerry Calvert recommends sending only 75, or 50 in the House and 25 in Senate. He also would pay them better, give them staffs and their own offices and limit the number of bills they could introduce. And he would eliminate term limits. Bozeman Chronicle

  2004 was aberration, Republicans believe  6/05/05  Over and over, speakers at the Republican state convention tried to reassure the party faithful that the GOP's poor showing in the 2004 Montana elections was an aberration.

They blamed it on gerrymandered legislative districts, lack of unity, an ineffective state party message and a failure to focus on the grass-roots. Republicans pledged to work hard in the upcoming campaign on all but the redistricting, which is outside their control.

Last fall, Democrats captured the governor's office for the first time since 1984. They grabbed control of the state Senate for the first time since 1993 and tied in the House, which had been in GOP hands since 1993. All this happened despite President Bush winning by a huge margin here.  Helena Independent Record

  Rehberg calls on Republicans for 'grass-roots' effort  6/04/05 Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., called on fellow Montana Republicans on Friday night to volunteer their services, not just their money.  Billings Gazette

  GOP keeps reporters out of some sessions  6/04/05  At the insistence of the Republican National Committee, reporters were banned from attending some "proprietary" training sessions put on by RNC staff at the state GOP convention Friday.  Billings Gazette

  Abramoff Gave to Democrats, Too  6/03/05 The Democrats’ hope of capitalizing on the investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s connections to Republican lawmakers has been dealt a serious blow by the revelation that he funneled money to Democrats as well. Sen. Conrad Burns, a Republican from Montana who is chairman of a subcommittee that often deals with Indian affairs, received the largest amount from the tribes and from Abramoff’s lobbying firm: $141,590 from 1999 to 2004, according to the Post.  NewsMax.com

  Burns hopes to raise millions more for campaign  6/03/05  U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns told fellow Republicans Thursday night he's gearing up in a hurry for his 2006 re-election campaign and needs their volunteer help and their money.  Billings Gazette

  Brad Johnson stands alone in Helena politics  6/03/05  It took Brad Johnson four tries and 14 years before he finally won an election in Montana, as he often swam upstream against Republican Party insiders who preferred another candidate. Yet now Montana's new secretary of state finds himself thrust into the role of party standard-bearer, as the only Republican heading an elected office in Helena.  Great Falls Tribune

  100 Days and Counting  6/03/05  The Democratic Party in D.C. is ready to call Dean a disaster, but the local parties love what he's done so far. Who's right and who's wrong?  Alternet

  Republicans to choose leader at this week's convention 6/01/05 Smarting from their first major electoral defeat in a decade, Montana Republicans have a stark choice this week as they meet in Great Falls to choose a new leader.  Great Falls Tribune

The U.S. Senate matters now more than ever  6/01/05  By DANIEL KEMMIS The hundreds of conversations I've had with Montanans over the past few months have convinced me that Montanans realize that the Senate may matter more now than ever, and that we can contribute to the kind of Senate we need by choosing the candidate who will make the very best U.S. senator. Billings Gazette

  Tester prepares for race to Senate  5/21/05  Although the primary election is more than a year away, state Sen. Jon Tester, D-Big Sandy, is setting up a contest for a chance to unseat U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., in 2006.

Tester, fresh from visiting with Democratic Party leaders in Washington, D.C. last week, said Friday in Billings he is putting together a statewide announcement tour for next week. It could begin as early as Tuesday.

"We're pretty damn serious," he said while visiting with labor leaders at the Northern Hotel at the AFL-CIO state convention. Billings Gazette

  GAO Agrees to Investigate Election Problems from 2004  11/25/04  Eighteen days following the initial request, the General Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed today to investigate several incidents of election problems from the recent November election, to satisfy the concerns brought forth by Representative John Conyers (D-IL) and 13 other Congresspersons. OpEdNews.com

  E-voting faces new scrutiny  11/24/04 On Tuesday, five Democratic representatives said the Government Accountability Office agreed to their request to review complaints that election machine technology and procedural issues had prevented some votes from being counted in the recently completed presidential election. C/Net.com

Voter Suppression Challenged by Ohioans 11/20/04   Two separate voter advocacy coalitions are putting together federal lawsuits against election officials in Franklin County, Ohio, alleging unfair allocation of polling materials, staff and equipment that disenfranchised thousands of voters in the county’s low-income and African-American precincts.

Drawing from testimonies gathered at public hearings concluding Monday at the Columbus courthouse, a coalition of voter advocacy groups including People for the American Way, Common Cause Ohio, Citizens Alliance for a Fair Election (CASE Ohio) and The League of Pissed-Off Voters contend that state election practices suppressed voters in lower-income precincts and violated constitutional law guaranteeing all US citizens the right to vote. The New Standard

  Voting Problems Should be Fully Investigated and Resolved  11/18/04  “The League of Women Voters is deeply concerned about voting irregularities in the 2004 election. The appropriate officials must fully investigate these concerns through open and public processes. Election officials should look into problems quickly and thoroughly and fix what proves to be wrong. Transparency and a willingness to look into potential problems will strengthen voter confidence and ultimately improve our electoral system.

“It is important to ensure that every properly cast ballot is counted and to make improvements for future elections. Attention must be given to inadequate polling place procedures, problematic voting machines, voter registration system failures, casting and counting of provisional ballots, and absentee voting issues. Common Dreams

  Recount confirms Flathead County Democrat victory  11/17/04  A vote recount has confirmed a narrow victory for a Flathead County Commission candidate.

Today's five-and-a-half hour tally in Kalispell showed Democrat Joe Brenneman defeated Republican Denise Cofer by a 135-vote margin. Cofer asked for the recount after losing by an initial count of 131 votes.

The Flathead Republican Central Committee paid the county one-thousand-930 dollars for the recount.  Missoulian

Republicans give Bohlinger chilly goodbye  11/17/04  Lt. Gov.-elect John Bohlinger came to bid farewell to his fellow Republican senators Wednesday, but was greeted with a frosty reception and a buzz saw of criticism from some colleagues irked that he'd joined Democratic Gov.-elect Brian Schweitzer's ticket.  

An irritated Sen. Dan McGee, R-Laurel, let Bohlinger have it.

"You have some ground to cover, sir," McGee said. "You actively campaigned against some of our legislative candidates, against our gubernatorial candidate."

McGee said it's nice to hear Bohlinger's words, but added: "There are thousands of people who have found it bitter you chose the route you did." McGee told Bohlinger he wouldn't be doing his duty if he hadn't spoken "on behalf of those who feel betrayed."  Missoulian

Voters, Fighters, Citizens: Keeping the Youth Involved  To begin with, there are the facts. While the youth vote didn’t deliver the presidential election for John Kerry, as many hoped it would, the turnout was undeniably high. Despite what some pundits and mainstream media sources were quick to suggest in the wake of the election, the percentage of eligible 18-29 year olds who voted on November 2, was the highest its been since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972.

This high turnout didn’t just magically occur. Although the stakes were perhaps higher this year than they have been in the last few decades, more youth voted because it was what was asked – and at times demanded—of them. Countless massive efforts—from non-partisan and partisan groups alike – were made to reach out to young people in the months leading up to the election. Organizations

 like Citizen Change, The New Voters Project, The League of Pissed Off Voters, and Music for America took to the streets, to the airwaves, and to concerts and churches, using all means available to spread awareness of the issues surrounding the election and the urgent need to exercise the right to vote. Alternet

U.S. needs uniform voting regulations  11/15/04  This year's election was free of massive problems at the polls, but U.S. election laws remain a muddle of federal, state and local rules that aren't all the same.

In the wake of an election bedeviled by lawsuits and long lines, good-government groups are planning to push for improvements that would ease the chaos and confusion that led up to Election Day 2004.

While predictions of massive problems never materialized, this year's balloting demonstrated that U.S. election laws remain a muddle of federal, state and local rules that expand voter rights in some states while disenfranchising voters in others. Denver Post