Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary: 

• Hiding in Plain Sight
• Trump vs Canada
• Mail-In Voting
• One More Thing

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT:

The Montana Free Press (MTFP) has a story written by Tom Lutey about how Kurt Alme, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is hiding from the voters. 

Lutey writes:

In a state where Republicans have won all but two of the last 26 statewide or federal races, Alme is flying under the radar as the unchallenged conservative candidate for Montana’s third open U.S. Senate seat in 64 years. 

Personally, I’d like to see Alme meet the press and voters a few times before ballots are mailed, but that’s just me. Are there any debates scheduled? 

It seems that all Alme is doing is coasting to the Election Day finish line.  

Fill up your coffee mug and enjoy this lengthy read HERE. 

TRUMP VS CANADA:

President Donald Trump attacking Canada and increasing tariffs is one of the dumbest things he could do. 

Alienating our closest neighbor makes zero economic sense. Montana’s governor and our four federal lawmakers must advocate for our state’s economy and push back against Trump’s anti-Canada rhetoric.

According to the U.S. Trade Representative, Montana’s largest export market was Canada. Montana exported $958 million in goods to Canada in 2025, representing 45 percent of the state’s total goods exports. (Source)

Back in 2025, NonStop Local reported that Montana imported $6.8 billion in goods from Canada each year. (Source)

Check out the Montana/Canada Trade Fact Sheet HERE. 

MAIL-IN VOTING:

In case you missed the news, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to move ahead with his executive order restricting mail-in voting, though it remains unclear how much his administration can implement before the fast-approaching midterm elections.

Good grief. 

The Executive Order calls on his administration to create lists of eligible voters and orders the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists. Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued to block the order.  

Mail-in voting is so secure that President Trump even uses it. A study from the Brookings Institute found that mail voting fraud is very rare, accounting for only 0.000043% of total mail ballots cast, or about four cases out of every 10 million mail votes. (Source)

Brookings also found that Mail voting expands voter access, giving millions—especially those facing barriers—a practical and secure way to vote.

The core argument is that these administrative hurdles limit the participation of those likely to support opposing platforms. This is entirely about making voting harder for opponents. 

ONE MORE THING:

Sadly, we are living in a day where people are proud of what they should be ashamed of. 

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