Forward Montana worked with partners at the Montana Human Rights Network, ACLU of Montana, Pride Foundation, and others to lead a successful effort to pass a non-discrimination ordinance in Missoula and then Bozeman. Forward Montana worked with volunteers and leaders at local high schools and college campuses to ensure youth voices were heard in this fight.
In 2014 LR-126, a statewide ballot initiative to take away same-day voter registration in Montana, reared its ugly head. In an effort that would create barriers to voting access for a number of people–more heavily impacting young people, low-income people, and people of color–Forward Montana fought back. With a plan that included strong alliances and partnerships, heavy voter engagement, and public dialogue, LR-126 was defeated at the ballot box.
For years, there had been a convenient, accessible polling place on the campus of Montana State University. But in 2012, County Commissioners moved the polling place off-campus to the Hope Lutheran Church. Instead of being able to walk safely across campus, voters without access to a car have to travel a mi
le along 19th Street, which has no shoulder, no sidewalk, no bike lane, no bus route, and a speed limit as high as 60 miles per hour.
At Forward Montana, we weren’t going to let voters risk their lives to vote. That’s why we teamed up with ASMSU and the League of Women Voters to urge the County Commision to restore an easily accessible polling location on Montana State University’s campus.
And in 2016, we secured just that! We’re proud to say that 100s of voters cast their ballots in a safe, accessible polling location right on their campus.
