The right to vote is fundamental to the existence of democracy. Montana’s Constitution, in Article II, Section 1, provides that “all political power is vested in and derived from the people … and is founded on their will only.” And Article II, Section 2, provides that it is “the people” who “have the exclusive right of governing themselves.”
It follows, that if we can’t vote, we have no political power and no ability to participate in self-government. The franchise is We the People’s way of getting our official say about who governs, who leads and what laws are enacted or repealed. Without the right of suffrage, we have no ability or power to ensure that our fundamental constitutional rights are protected—guarantees that include our rights to life, liberty and to own property; to a clean and healthful environment; to freedom of religion and to assemble; to free speech; to a free press; to participate in government; to read public documents and observe the deliberations of public bodies; to individual privacy; to bear arms; to equal protection of the laws and to due process of law; and to our most fundamental right, our inviolable right to human dignity. If we can’t vote then our voices will not be heard.
That is why Montana’s Constitution at Article II, Section 13, protects our fundamental right to vote in the strongest terms. It provides: “Right of suffrage. All elections shall be free and open, and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”
