Letter to the Editor - Protect constitutional rights with your vote

Editor,

For the last 50 years, Montana’s constitution has protected some of the most basic and widely undisputed rights of Montanans. Here we have the right to live our lives without the government dictating how we should go about doing so and to thrive on our land.

Few states feel the need to protect the privacy of their citizens, but Montana is an exception. Through the decades, Montanans have benefited countless times from Article II, Section X of our constitution, with protections for online data, health care decisions, and LGBTQ+ relationships. The right to privacy was among the least debated provisions in 1972, and continues to hold undisputed value for many.

Few states are so proud of the landscape that surrounds them, Montana certainly has one that we can’t risk losing. Montana, rich in natural resources, has had a long history of corporations disregarding the people and the things they value, leading to environmental disasters. The right to a clean and healthful environment protects the air, water and land of this state, it protects the health of every Montanan, and importantly, it offers damage prevention rather than damage control. Not only does the constitution preserve this land, but it protects the right to access waterways and citizens’ ability to use the land of their own state.

The risk of another constitutional convention means the risk of losing things we value, personal privacy and the beautiful land we live on. Put your vote toward people who will protect this document.

Lisa Venckus

Missoula