Committee hears bills to raise voter approval threshold for constitutional amendments

HELENA — The House State Administration Committee heard testimony March 17 on House Bills 821 and 822, measures from Representative Jodie Etchart that would raise the voter approval threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60 percent.

Etchart, a Republican from Billings, told the committee she filed the measures at the request of a constituent who argued the legislature must achieve a two-thirds vote to refer constitutional amendments and that voters should face a higher threshold as well. “So do we want to make that threshold for changing our constitution 50 percent, or do we want to make it at 3/5s?” Etchart said during her opening remarks.

Supporters of the current 50%-plus-one rule and opponents of the bills said the proposals…