Montana § 13-10-606 - Submission And Form Of Minor Party Petition

§ 13-10-606. Submission And Form Of Minor Party Petition

Submission and form of minor party petition. (1) (a) Any elector may present a petition to the secretary of state to request that a political party that does not qualify to hold a primary election under 13-10-601 (1) may qualify to nominate its candidates by primary election. (b) The petition must be in the form prescribed by the secretary of state. (2) The petition must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to 5% or more of the total votes cast for the successful candidate for governor at the last general election or 5,000 electors, whichever is less. The number must include the registered voters in at least one-third of the legislative districts equal to 5% or more of the total votes cast for the successful candidate for governor at the last general election in those districts or 150 electors in those districts, whichever is less. (3) Signed sheets or sections of petitions with original signatures and the affidavits of circulation as provided in 13-10-607 must be submitted to the official responsible for registration of electors in the county in which the signatures were obtained no sooner than 9 months and no later than 4 weeks before the final date for filing the petition with the secretary of state as provided in 13-10-609 (2). (4) (a) An elector may withdraw the elector's signature from a petition under this part until the final submission of petition sheets as provided in subsection (3). (b) The county election administrator may consider an elector's request for an elector's name to be withdrawn only after verification that the elector requesting to be withdrawn from the petition is the same elector who signed the petition.