The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-03-01
By JAMES D. GRAHAM

The election laws of Montana pro-
vide that any one can be elected Unit
ed States senator representative in
congress, judge of the supreme court
to any state, county city or township
office and schools districts of the Sec
ond and third class, by having his
name written in on the official ballot
on election day, provided the person
so elected can qualify for the office.
In elections of school trustees of dis
tricts of the first class, the candidates
must be nominated at a convention in
which at least 20 qualified voters take
part and the nomination filed with
the clerk of the school district eight
days before the election and the judg-
es of election shall not count the vote
cast for any one who has not been
regularly nominated.
House Bill No 205 was introduced
in the legislature of 194S by Repre-
sentative Baldwin of Billings to amend
the election law relating to school dis
tricts of the first class. The bill was
enacted into law and provides that
the nomination for school trustees
must be made not more than go days
and not less than 40 before election
and further provides that if only one
meeting was held to nominate candi-
dates for school trustees and only one
candidate for each term or office to
be filled-then in that event NO
ELECTION NEED BE HELD AND
THE CLERK OF SUCH DISTRICT
SHALL CERTIFY SUCH FACTS TO
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
THE DISTRICT ACTING AS A
BOARD OF EXAMINERS WHO
SHALL THEREUPON CERTIFY THE
ELECTION OF SUCH PERSONS TO
THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT
OF SCHOOLS.
By the enactment of this bill the
elective franchise of the voters of
school districts of the first class is
curtailed and individuals made mem
bers of school boards without being
elected or appointed to the office.
On the roll call vote of the house,
the following representatives voted in
favor of House Bill No. 2O5: Anderson
of Phillips, Anderson of Lewis and
Clark, Antrim, Aronson, Atkinson,
Baldwin, Ballard Banka, Beck, Blew
EFT, Bourassa, Brumbach, Busch, Can
non, Cole, Cummings, Dallas, Davey,
Dillavou Esp, Flock, Freshman, Geb-
hardt, Graybill, Gunderson, Hageman,
Hall, Hazelbaker, Horrigan, Hughes,
Hunter, Kemmis, Kimpel, Kreigg,
Lehrkind Little, Lowe, Mcdaniel, Nc
Greevy, McMichael, Martin, Minnick,
Mass, Nelson, Oliver, Padbury Page,
Parker of Wibaux, Patterson, Peter
son, Potter, Rasmussen, Saylor, SEQ
field, Settle, Simon, Simpson, Sout, |
Wenger, Williams, Wilson, Winters, |
Wright, Mr.. Speaker George w. O'Con-
nor.
Those voting no: Dougherty, Hank
en-, Hole, James, Longbran, McCleery,
Parker of Cascade, Watts.
ABSENT AND NOT VOTING: An
son, Bovey, Bricker, Byrne, Castles,
Chaffin, Dunn, Fallan, Fewkes, Foot,
Healy, LaBonte, Much, Parker of Flat
head, Rice, Standish, White.
The senate roll call on House Bill
No. 205, shows the following senators
and voting aye (wrong) Arnold, Bak-
err, Balgard, Calder, Campbell, Car
rington, Cole, Cotton, Ecton, Fowlie
Gabish, Haight, Hammond, Kalberg,
Keely, Larson, Leo, Lott, Lynch, Nc
Kenna McQuitty, Manning, Minette,
Moss, Mundy, Olmstead, Peck, Peter
son, Plank, Reed, Rice, Robinson, Sim
mons, Stewart of Rosebud, Sullivan,
Toman, Toomey, Tyler, Wallander, {
Wilcoxen, 43. {
The voting no, none. S
In the legislature of 1915, the school [
election laws for the districts of the {
first class were again amended by the
enactment of House Bill No 10 in {
troduced by Kreig, of Billings. This s
bill as introduced, provided that the |
law be amended so that the nomina-
ton of candidates for trustees in
school districts of the first class must t
be filed with the clerk of the school ]
board within 4S hours after they were {
This bill passed the house without i
amendment by the following vote: q
Ayes (wrong) Anderson, Anso, An t
/