“Montana Democrats want Green Party off ballot, saying they didn’t get enough valid signatures”

Independent Record on what seems like a battle between Democrats and Republicans with the Greens stuck in the middle:

The Montana Democratic Party is claiming the Montana Green Party didn’t have enough signatures to qualify for running candidates in this fall’s election and wants the Green Party’s candidates removed from the ballot.

In a complaint filed Monday in Helena District Court, the Montana Democratic Party argues the Montana Green Party submitted invalid signatures that were used to certify the party for the ballot….

The complaint also argues that some of the signature gatherers’ efforts seem unrealistic. Gatherers averaged 500 signatures a day, and one reported collecting in a single day more than 90 signatures from Cascade County and more than 50 from Yellowstone County, “despite the more than four-hour driving distance between the two counties,” according to the complaint.

The complaint also says at least one Green Party candidate, Tim Adams, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat, has “long-standing affiliations” with the Montana Republican Party. Adams has been on the Montana GOP’s payroll in the past.

Candidates like Adams are “seeking the Green Party’s nomination to act as ‘spoiler’ candidates rather than to advance the Green Party’s stated principles and values,” the complaint claims.

Neither Pope nor Rogers have returned previous calls for comment. The Democrats did not announce the filing until after 6 p.m. Monday, and the Montana Green Party and the Secretary of State’s office could not be reached for comment.

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