It takes more than 25,000 valid signatures from registered voters in Montana to qualify an initiative for the ballot. A minimum number of those signatures have to come from at least 34 of the House Districts in Montana. Never before has HD29, which includes Lewistown, produced enough signatures to help an initiative get on the ballot. That changed with I-186 and our Snowy Mountain chapter. After training to be signature gatherers about half a dozen Snowy Mountain chapter volunteers gathered about 150% of the necessary signatures in HD29. That success is an example of the great effort many chapter members put in to bring our campaign total to more than 45,000 signatures and easily qualifying I-186 for the November 6, 2018 ballot.
Now that MTU, participating TU chapters, members, and our many partners have cleared this major hurdle, it’s time to inform and turn out voters. We don’t have space in a single newsletter to let you know about all the events and ways there are to get involved. So here’s how to keep apace of what’s happening and how you can help make a difference: Visit the campaign website (https://www.yeson186.org/) to learn more, volunteer, and donate. Visit, share, like, and comment on the campaign Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/yeson186/). Or, contact us directly anytime ([email protected]; i[email protected]).
Most of all, remember, MTU is supporting I-186 because it brings a much-needed, common-sense change to hard-rock mine permitting in Montana that will better protect the clean water our native and wild trout depend on. It will also reduce the taxpayer burden of cleaning up and paying for permanent treatment of polluted water. That money is yours and mine and could, and should, be spent elsewhere on the many programs statewide that ensure we have clean, cold, healthy streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands for generations to come.