So what did we vote for in this week's election?
by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio
November 6, 2010
Voting for individuals is the easy part, but when it comes to the ballot issues, it may not be as easy, leaving many voters shaking their heads over the often convoluted wording.
The Constitutional Convention question was pretty simple. You either wanted one or not. Check the appropriate box. 59% of Montanans did not want a Constitutional Convention.
The State voted for CI-105; passing by 73%. CI-105 is the Real Estate Transaction Tax. Montanans voted to amend the Montana Constitution to prohibit state or local governments from imposing any new tax on transactions that sell or transfer real property.
I-161, The Outfitter Initiative. Montanans voted for I-161 by 54%, abolishing outfitter sponsored hunting licenses, and by doing so resident Montana hunters will now have to compete with 7700 additional licensed non-resident hunters who can hunt throughout the state without any supervision. It affects the livihood of 2400 Montana families in the outfitting business, will cost the state $167 million annually in economic activity, jeopardize funding of the Block Management Program which opens millions of acres of private property to public hunting, and allow thousands of out of state hunters to roam private property with no supervision or guidance.
I-164, the Payday Loan Cap. This one passed by 72%. It reduces the annual interest rate, and charges payday, title, and retail installment lenders and consumer loan licensees may charge. With I-164, the maximum annual interest rate on a so-called payday loan will be limited to 36 annual percentage rate.
How did Lincoln County voters compare with the rest of the station the initiatives?
Lincoln County was against the Constitutional Convention (54% No), agreed with the rest of the state on CI-105 (79% For), and I-164 (74% For), but disagreed with the rest of the state on I-161, voting against its passage by 54% (Against).
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Story by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio, www.todaysbestcountryonline.com, e-mail: klcb@frontiernet.net.
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