A friend told me the other day that during this session of the Montana Legislature they write, “Please Open Other End” on the bottom of Coke and Pepsi cans to keep the legislators from making a mess.

He was joking (I think), but after the headlines from what happened Friday, I can see why they might consider it. Some members of the Montana Legislature may need remedial training on voting.

State Representative Tom Jacobson (D-Great Falls) is one of the legislators who may need an intern or someone to help him vote correctly. It was not just any vote he screwed up; it was a vote to help those less fortunate. It was a vote about Medicaid.

It was a bill that should have passed. The headlines on Friday and Saturday were not that kind to Jacobson: 

The Associated Press headline was “Bipartisan Medicaid fails on accidental vote.” The Billings Gazette reported, “Was fate of Medicaid expansion bill decided by mistaken vote?” The Missoulian reported, “Vote that killed Medicaid bill was a mistake, lawmaker says.” The Montana Standard reported, “Bipartisan Medicaid bill fails by one wrong vote.”

The “one wrong vote” the “mistaken vote” the “accidental vote” belonged to Jacobson.

Readers may remember that I have written about Jacobson before. He was a candidate for State House District 25 taking on incumbent Cleve Loney. Jacobson beat Loney by 74 votes out of the 5,068 votes cast. A complaint was filed by his opponent (Cleve Loney) because Jacobson was “passing out chips, candy, and water to people who were waiting in line to vote at the Expo Park in Great Falls (MT).”

The complaint by Loney was dismissed by the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices because, apparently, all is fair at the polls in Great Falls.

There may be some other ways to get the Medicaid funding, but now it’s going to be harder, and that’s too bad.

There are several other “historic” events from the 63rd session of the Montana Legislature that we will look back on and shake our heads. One thing for sure – there are several legislators whose actions show that they are a few peas short of a casserole.

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