Libertarian Party Asks Montana to Delay Sending Ballots to Military/Overseas Voters

After the tragic death of U.S. House Candidate and State Party Chairman Mike Fellows, the Libertarian Party is scrambling to find a new candidate to replace Fellows on the ballot and is asking the Secretary of State to wait on sending out ballots.

Libertarian Andrew Forseir is the state director for the Gary Johnson campaign and a state house candidate in Stillwater County, who is working to ensure Fellows' ideals make it to the ballot.

"Montana statute says that in the situation of a replacement candidate that the ballots need to be either fully updated and resent, or that a new ballot for just the office in question needs to be sent," Forseir said. "From our standpoint to save taxpayer dollars and voter confusion we've requested the Secretary of State's office to notify the counties not to send those ballots out until the update has been made."

The Libertarian Party has started the process of asking for an injunction just in case the Secretary of State's office chooses to send out ballots to overseas and military voters on schedule, which would be this Friday, September 23. In the meantime, the interim party chairman Roger Roots is responsible for heading the search for a replacement candidate.

"[Roots] is working with individuals within the party to determine what the best slate of candidates would be to make that selection from, and we will be looking at all of the available candidates and taking input from folks within the party as to who might be the best," Forseir said. "We are working to ensure that whatever candidate that we identify for the ballot replacement, is going to be someone that will preserve Mike Fellows' legacy.

Secretary of State Linda McCulloch's office says they are working with the Department of Justice and the Federal Voting Assistance Program to understand what options are available. Forseir says he received confirmation from the Secretary of State that overseas and Military ballots would be delayed in expectation of a replacement candidate.