HELENA — 2020 and 2022 were challenging election cycles for Montana Democrats, with Republicans sweeping statewide races and making gains in the state Legislature. Democratic leaders say that was in the background as they planned their get-out-the-vote efforts this time around.
“We also look back to two years ago and our legislative races, and a lot of folks recognized that things need to change,” said Montana Democratic Party chair Robyn Driscoll.
Driscoll says the party got started earlier than they have in the past to recruit candidates. In addition, she says interest from donors in Montana combined with the national attention on U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s run for reelection allowed them to invest in a multimillion-dollar voter outreach campaign called “Big Sky Victory.” They’ve reported bringing on more than 3,000 volunteers, knocking on more than 118,000 doors and making more than 180,000 phone calls.
“We have people really excited about our legislative candidates and our candidates up and down the ballot,” Driscoll said. “We have spent a lot more time in rural Montana and Indian Country than we ever have.”
In 2022, statewide voter turnout was 61% in the general election. The four counties with the lowest turnout that year – Glacier at 38%, Roosevelt and Big Horn at 46% and Blaine at 47% – all cover parts of reservations.
Big Sky Victory includes a specific push to mobilize Native voters.
“We've been there a lot longer this time,” said Driscoll. “Also, folks that are working in Indian Country are Native American, and so they are able to talk to their friends, neighbors and family a lot easier.”
Driscoll said, while she’s proud of the work President Joe Biden has done in office, she feels there’s “a lot more excitement” since Vice President Kamala Harris took over the Democratic nomination for president. She said, for the voters they’ve talked to, the issues that have resonated most have been reproductive rights and frustration with rising property taxes.
Driscoll said, in the coming months, Democrats’ efforts are also going to include encouraging same-day voter registration on Election Day and absentee ballot collection.
In 2021, the Legislature passed laws eliminating same-day registration and directing the Secretary of State to draft rules banning paid ballot collection. The Montana Democratic Party was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging those laws, along with two other election regulations. Earlier this year, the Montana Supreme Court struck down all four, ruling they were unconstitutional restrictions on voting rights.
“Why would you not want everybody who is registered, or who is the right age to register to vote – why would you not want them to vote?” asked Driscoll.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking them to rule on whether the Montana court’s decision had overstepped onto the Legislature’s authority to set election rules. However, they did not seek emergency consideration – instead saying the high court could follow its standard schedule for briefing and arguments. That means there would be no decision before this year’s election.
After their success in 2020, Montana Republican leaders have said they believe higher turnout will be an advantage for them. MTN asked Driscoll for her response.
“I always just think that the higher turnout in any race, the better, because that means that people are engaged and listening and knowing which candidate best supports their values,” she said.
This is the second part of a two-part series on the major parties’ get-out-the-vote efforts in Montana. Our story on Republican efforts is available here.
