Montana Attorney General

Description

The Attorney General of Montana is an elected constitutional position in the executive branch of the Montana state government. The attorney general is the state's chief legal officer, chief law enforcement officer and director of the Montana Department of Justice. The attorney general also serves as a member of the Montana Land Board and the Board of Examiners. The attorney general has the authority to provide legal opinions to the state legislature, state officers, city and county attorneys, among others. The attorney general also has supervisory authority over the state's 56 county attorneys and, at the request of local, state or federal law enforcement agencies, can investigate criminal violations of law. After a ballot measure text has been approved, a copy goes to the attorney general's office to verify its legality. If the attorney general determines that a proposed issue is legally sufficient but that the ballot statements clearly do not comply with legal requirements, the attorney general prepares statements that comply with applicable requirements and forwards them to the secretary of state. The review by the attorney general must be completed within 30 days of when the attorney general receives the draft petition. The attorney general also writes an explanatory statement for all ballot measures that is published in the Voter Information Pamphlet. The statement is required to be an impartial explanation of the purpose of the ballot measures. It is also required to be written using easy-to-understand language. Part of the explanatory statement includes "for" and "against" sections for each issue on the ballot. If necessary, the attorney general will also prepare a fiscal statement. The salary for this position is $115,817/year.

Application Guidelines

1) Contact the Montana Elections and Government Services Division in the Montana Secretary of State's Office to confirm that your registered address qualifies you for the position you intend to run for, and that you meet other office specific qualifications. Obtain the required filing forms. 2) Complete the required filing forms and submit the filing forms to the Montana Elections and Government Services Division. The required forms include petition signatures if you plan to run as an independent candidate. If you plan to run as a party candidate, please contact your local political party for details on how to run as a party candidate. All candidates should inquire about the campaign finance rules and regulations with the Montana Elections and Government Services Division. 3) Nominating petitions are due to county election administrators for certification of authenticity a week before they due to the Montana Elections and Government Services Division. For 2016 elections, nominating petitions are due to county election administrators on May 31st, 2016. Certified authentic petitions, candidate filing forms and filing fees are due to the Montana Elections and Government Services Division the day before the primary election (June 6th, 2016). The primary election is held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in June. Petition signature requirements vary by office. If you have any questions or concerns you are encouraged to contact the Montana Elections and Government Services Division at (406) 444-4732 or visit the Montana Elections and Government Services Division website: http://www.sos.mt.gov/elections/Filing/index.asp.

Submit application to:
Montana Secretary of State, Montana Secretary of State’s Office, Helena, MT, 59620, US