As former Montana Secretaries of State, we ran for election representing different parties but carried the same responsibility: to oversee fair and transparent election process in Montana. Regardless of political affiliation, we share the belief that government should answer to the people. Our state’s ballot measure process is the strongest expression of this simple principle. It gives ordinary Montanans the power to propose laws, reject bad ones, and hold government accountable.

CI-133 protects our ballot measure process from government interference.

Montana's citizen-initiated ballot measure process arose during the Copper King era, when power in the hands of a few wealthy elites left citizens with little say over their government. Ballot initiatives were designed as a check on that power, allowing voters to act when their voices were being drowned out by greed and corruption.

At its core, CI-133 protects our historic citizen initiative process. It bans the government from taking sides on ballot measures and bans the government from using your tax dollars to put its finger on the scale of the outcome. It provides clear parameters for petition approval, drafting and approval of ballot statements, signature gathering, signature verification, and resolving legal challenges so that the process is administered fairly, predictably, and efficiently.

As Montanans from different sides of the aisle, there are plenty of issues we don’t agree on, but we do agree on CI-133. We should all want to keep government interference out of our citizen initiative process. It is the people’s tool for lawmaking.

This isn’t about making it easier for one side or another to pass initiatives. CI-133 is about ensuring that the rules are clear and fair so Montana citizens are the ones shaping our laws.

Over the years, Montanans have used ballot measures to shape our state’s future in meaningful ways. Citizens of all political stripes have come together to protect hunting and fishing rights, limit taxes, restrict elected officials from lobbying, expand access to healthcare, and fund conservation by taxing marijuana. These measures don't begin in the halls of the Capitol, they begin with neighbors talking to neighbors and Montanans deciding what they want.

Montana’s initiative process doesn’t only allow citizens to create new laws, it also gives voters the power to reject existing laws through the Citizens’ Veto. When the government overreaches, the people should retain the ability to say “no.”

Voting YES on CI-133 is a vote to preserve one of Montana’s most important traditions. It protects the right of future generations to participate directly in shaping our state’s laws.

This November, join us in voting YES on CI-133 to ensure a fair, transparent, and citizen-led ballot measure process for all Montanans.

Bob Brown and Mike Cooney are former Montana Secretaries of State.