Second committee trying to get nonpartisan judicial election measure onto ballot

HELENA — A second committee has announced it’s going to try to get an initiative onto next year’s ballot to ensure that Montana’s judicial elections remain nonpartisan.

Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts submitted two possible versions of a constitutional amendment to the Montana Secretary of State’s Office last week. It comes less than a month after the group Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges turned in its own proposed amendment .

Montana judicial elections have been conducted on a nonpartisan basis since 1936. Lawmakers have debated proposals to introduce party labels to judicial elections each of the last three legislative sessions, but none have been successful.

“We have a 90-year, very longstanding tradition of nonpartisan courts in Montana,” said Caitie Butler, a spokesperso