BILLINGS — With nearly a week until Election Day, Forward Montana is now shifting its focus from registration to information guides and early voting.
“We ask the candidates questions. We ask the Montana Supreme Court some questions, ask their opinions on a few things, and then we have some ballot initiative language," said Pari Kemmick, the group's senior organizing manager for eastern Montana, while explaining the guide on Monday.
The 34-year-old said she has had politics on her mind since the seventh grade.
“I can’t see leaving this sort of work because I’m really passionate about making sure that our democracy is reflective of us," said Kemmick.
Despite many assuming Forward Montana's work is seasonally aligned with election cycles, the group, which focuses on what it describes as the non-partisan involvement of young voters, is active year-round, each year.
“There’s not a lot of policy that reflects young folks, things like affordable housing, climate justice, voting rights even," said Kemmick.
Issues concerning young voters not being addressed in local legislation, according to Kemmick, is one of the primary reasons she said she sees lifelong Montanans leaving the state.
“I’ve seen a lot of young people end up leaving Montana. I grew in Billings. I was born and raised here. A lot of my friends have moved away since high school," said Kemmick.
She said young voters are feeling increasingly distant from party politics, opting to focus more on individual issues.
"You don’t have to necessarily vote for a party for (policies), but you can find candidates that reflect your values no matter what, whether they're Republican, Democrat, Independent," said Kemmick.
