FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2023

MCV files suit challenging gerrymandered Public Service Commission map ahead of 2024 election

Lawsuit made necessary by the Montana Legislature’s Senate Bill 109 signed into law by Governor Gianforte

(Helena, Mont.) – Montana Conservation Voters filed suit today to compel Secretary of State Christi Jacobson to restore a fair and competitive map for the upcoming 2024 Public Service Commission election.

On April 26, 2023, Governor Gianforte signed into law Senate Bill 109 which put in place a new PSC map for the upcoming election. The new map does away with decades of precedent determining Montana’s PSC districts, and instead divides communities without any explanation for how the configuration represents voters’ interests. The map splits every major municipality in the state other than Butte, splits 14 counties, and does away with the traditional redistricting goal of preserving communities of interest – effectively guaranteeing noncompetitive elections.

“Montana remains a state where freedom of choice at the ballot box matters,” said Whitney Tawney, Executive Director for MCV. “Fair and competitive elections result in better representation for all Montanans and help hold our elected officials accountable to the jobs they are elected to do. This is as important for the Public Service Commission as anywhere else given their role in setting the utility rates of Montanans.”  

“This is a blatant attempt to change the rules for political power, and it infringes on the rights of all Montanans,” said Constance Van Kley, Litigation Director of Upper Seven Law, who represents Montana Conservation Voters. “Energy costs are soaring, and elected officials should be accountable to voters, not special interests.”

Previous PSC maps preserved counties and communities of interest, however, the gerrymandered map not only divides almost all of Montana’s counties but also six of the state’s seven major municipalities (Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Great Falls, Helena, and Kalispell) in an effort to dilute the voices of Montanans who live in these communities. It makes no effort to preserve communities of interest, breaking the rules to silence thousands of Montanans and take away their right to representation. The map drawn by SB 109 also guarantees a single party will continue to hold all five PSC seats.

“Being pro-conservation is bipartisan. Conservation champions can be Democrat or Republican, and MCV proudly supports them both. But when political maps are redrawn to game the system instead of fairly representing the people, everyone loses,” said Tawney.

For more information on MCV’s lawsuit and the issue of PSC redistricting, please visit mtvoters.org/PSC.

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ABOUT MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS

Montana Conservation Voters is a statewide non-partisan membership organization dedicated to fighting for Montana’s air, water, open spaces, wildlife and public health. MCV provides voter participation services to tens of thousands of Montanans. Visit mtvoters.org for more details.

ABOUT UPPER SEVEN LAW

Upper Seven Law is a Montana-based nonprofit law firm dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. Based on the belief that creativity and innovation in law are essential to advancing social justice and public interest objectives, Upper Seven takes smart risks and invests the time necessary to build foundations for long-term accountability work.

CONTACT

Whitney Tawney
Executive Director
Montana Conservation Voters
406-414-6977

CONTACT

Constance Van Kley
Litigation Director
Upper Seven Law
406-306-0330