House Bill No. [insert bill number] proposes significant revisions to local government elections in Montana by mandating that these elections be conducted on a partisan basis. The bill amends several sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA), specifically Sections 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, and 7-3-4262. Key changes include replacing the term "shall" with "must" in various sections to emphasize the requirement for compliance, and altering the language regarding the type of elections to specify that they must be partisan rather than allowing for nonpartisan options.

Additionally, the bill removes references to nonpartisan elections in multiple sections and establishes that all officers in a city must be elected on a partisan basis, thereby eliminating any previous provisions that allowed for nonpartisan appointments and elections. The bill includes a saving clause to ensure that it does not affect any rights or duties that matured or penalties incurred before its effective date, which is immediate upon passage and approval.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, 7-3-4262
HB0482_1(1): 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, 7-3-4262
HB0482_1(2): 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, 7-3-4262
HB0482_1(3): 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, 7-3-4262
HB0482_1(4): 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, 7-3-4262
HB0482_1: 7-3-112, 7-3-113, 7-3-114, 7-3-219, 7-3-314, 7-3-413, 7-3-513, 7-3-4262