Greetings! Here are the topics for today’s column:

• Mountain States Poll
• Birth Year on Ballot
• Transparent Election Initiative
• Football & World Series
• One More Thing

MOUNTAIN STATES POLL:

The 38th edition of the Mountain States Poll was released on Tuesday. This is the poll that you either love or hate, depending on which side of the fence you sit. 

This edition will probably be hated by the Montana MAGA Republicans, and they will attempt to discredit it because it is so bad for them. 

The poll surveyed 854 Montanans from October 3 to 15, 2025. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%.

• President Donald Trump’s job approval rating was 41% and disapproval was 41%.
• Montana Governor Greg Gianforte’s job approval rating was 37% and 24% disapproved.
• Congressman Ryan Zinke’s job approval was 26% and 22% disapproved. 
• Congressman Troy Downing’s job approval was 16% and 15% disapproved. Another 31% don’t know. 
• U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ job approval was 31% and 28% disapproved. Daines is up for reelection in 2026.  
• U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy’s job approval was 34% and 34% disapproved.

Nobody was even close to 50%. This is good news if you want to see them replaced. 

You can read the entire poll, which includes many more questions, HERE. 

The Daily Montanan covers the poll HERE. 

BIRTH YEAR ON BALLOT:

You can thank the MAGA Republicans in the Montana Legislature for adding the silly requirement that you write your birthdate on the ballot envelope. If you don’t, the ballot will be rejected.

According to some reports, hundreds of ballots have been rejected across Montana because of this new requirement. (Source)

The bill that did this is House Bill 719, and the sponsor was Republican Braxton Mitchell. 

The bill did not receive any votes from the Democrats in the State Legislature. (Source)

In case you did not know it, the Republicans want to make it harder for people to vote. They especially like to make it harder to vote for minority and young voters.

It’s only going to get worse. 

TRANSPARENT ELECTION INITIATIVE:

Most people will agree that there is too much money in politics. I am one of them. 

According to the Transparent Election Initiative website, the Montana Plan, a breakthrough legal strategy, will stop corporate and dark money cold. It’s how Montanans will beat Citizens United and take back our politics.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen must like seeing the corporate and dark money. According to reporting in the Montana Free Press, Knudsen rejected a proposed ballot initiative aimed at ending corporate money in Montana political campaigns on Friday, deeming it legally insufficient. The initiative’s primary advocate, former State Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan, said in a Monday interview that he plans to challenge the decision in court.

Good for Mangan.  

FOOTBALL & WORLD SERIES:

Monday night, I was busy watching my Kansas City Chiefs beat the Washington Commanders 28-7 on Monday Night Football. 

After the Chiefs’ game, I started watching the World Series. That game went on and on and on for 18 innings before the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays. 

It was about 1:00 a.m. when the game ended, so I decided to skip Tuesday’s column. 

ONE MORE THING:

If you are not angry, you are not paying attention. 

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