HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana Democratic Party chairman appears to be laying the groundwork for a possible challenge to the secretary of state’s certification of the Green Party for the ballot in this year’s state elections.
Jim Larson filed a public records request with Secretary of State Corey Stapleton’s office and election officials in four counties for the individual voter information and copies of the signatures the Green Party submitted in its petition to qualify as a party in Montana.
Stapleton certified the Green Party for the first time as a political party in Montana on March 12, the deadline for candidates to file for office. Green Party officials put out a call for candidates that same day, and a half-dozen people filed under its banner for races for the U.S. Senate, House and a handful of legislative seats.