A lawsuit argues a new map drawing election districts for the Public Service Commission is too partisan.
Montana’s Public Service Commission (PSC) is responsible for regulating utilities. Its commissioners are elected from five districts.
A bipartisan commission is responsible for redistricting most state and federal elections. But the state Legislature is responsible for drawing the PSC map.
Plaintiffs allege lawmakers split major cities between districts to ensure Republican wins in all districts. State residents and Montana Conservation Voters filed the suit.
Whitney Tawney with Montana Conservation Voters spoke on the matter.
“The Public Service Commission is a super powerful body within the state of Montana because they are regulating how Montanans are getting their energy and what it’s costing,” Tawney said.
The current PSC commissioners are all Republican. The plaintiffs are asking the judge to block the bill creating the new election map and instead use the old map drawn by federal court in 2003.
The individual plaintiffs come from all five districts and different political views, including former Republican Secretary of State Bob Brown.
If the new map is blocked, the legislature would have to redraw the map either during the 2025 session or a special session.
