关键信息：在蒙大拿州布特-银弓县（Butte-Silver Bow County），选民们现在可以考虑一项拟议中的投票提案。该提案要求在建设或扩建数据中心之前，必须获得公民的批准。此前，蒙大拿州最高法院于周二推翻了下级法院的裁决，该裁决曾阻止该提案被列入11月的投票清单中。
General election voters in Butte-Silver Bow County may now consider a proposed ballot initiative that would require citizen approval of data center development, after the Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling that prevented the initiative from appearing on the November ballot.
在该法院裁决发布后的周三，县政府在文件中表示将遵守最高法院的判决，但同时对如何执行这一裁决同时确保遵守《蒙大拿州选举法》感到困惑——因为投票纸已经印制完毕，其中一些投票纸甚至已经寄出并回收。县政府请求法院提供指导，并提出了几种解决方案，包括修改现有投票纸或重新印制包含该提案内容的补充投票纸。
In a Wednesday court filing responding to the decision, the county said it intends to comply, but is unsure of how to follow the ruling and remain in compliance with the Montana Election Code, since ballots have already been printed — and some have already been sent and returned — without the initiative. The county asks the court for direction, and proposes options including modifying existing ballots or issuing supplemental ballots containing the initiative.
这项裁决是围绕2025年立法机构通过的相关法律而引发的争议的最新进展。该提案由“406 People First”组织和丹尼斯·凯利（Denise Kelly）发起，其核心内容是：只有在获得三分之二选民的支持后，县政府才能批准数据中心的建设或扩建项目。提案发起人在8月份对布特-银弓县政府提起诉讼，原因是选举官员告知他们的提案签名征集截止日期有误。
The ruling is the latest development in a dispute over a law passed by the 2025 Legislature The Butte initiative, organized by 406 People First and Denise Kelly, would require a special election in which two-thirds of alled voters approve a data center project before the county can authorize its construction or expansion. Initiative organizers sued Butte-Silver Bow County in August after election officials notified them that the deadline they had originally been given to submit petition signatures was incorrect.
根据法庭文件，县政府最初告知活动组织者，他们必须在8月14日前提交3,652份有效的签名。选举管理员辛西娅·谢尔曼于7月31日通知组织者，他们已经满足了这一要求。然而在8月10日，县政府又告知组织者：根据2025年通过的《参议院第11号法案》，签名必须在7月13日前提交。该法律规定，请愿书的签名必须在投票认证截止日期（即选举日期前85天）的四周内提交。
According to court documents, the county initially told organizers they had until Aug. 14 to submit 3,652 valid signatures. Election Administrator Cynthia Sherman informed organizers July 31 they had met the requirement. But on Aug. 10, the county notified organizers that Senate Bill 11, enacted in 2025, required that signatures be submitted by July 13. The law requires petition signatures to be submitted four weeks before the ballot certification deadline, which is 85 days before the election.
同样的法律也影响了黄石县的一项类似提案；黄石县曾告知组织者他们可以在8月12日前提交签名。黄石县检察官斯科特·特维托在8月向MTFP表示，数据中心开发商Quantica Infrastructure（其Broadview数据中心最近刚刚开始建设）已于7月30日提醒他们注意这一更早的法定截止日期。随后，县政府通知组织者他们的签名提交期限已经过期。
The same law affected a similar initiative in Yellowstone County where organizers had been told they could submit signatures until Aug. 12. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito told MTFP in August that data center developer Quantica Infrastructure, whose Broadview data center recently began construction brought the earlier statutory deadline to his attention on July 30. The county subsequently informed organizers that their signature deadline had already passed.
在8月28日，布特县的地方法院法官驳回了组织者的救济请求，认为尽管县政府给出了错误的指示，但法定截止日期仍然有效。组织者随后向蒙大拿州最高法院提出了上诉。
In Butte, a district court judge rejected the organizers’ request for relief on Aug. 28, concluding that the statutory deadline applied despite the county’s incorrect instructions. Organizers appealed to the Montana Supreme Court.
在周二的裁决中，最高法院暂时禁止县政府以签名提交期限已过为由拒绝该提案的通过。裁决指出，布特-银弓县并未反对组织者提出的禁令请求。法官们认为，在组织者的上诉程序进行期间将该提案从11月的投票名单中剔除，可能会对选民的宪法权利造成不可挽回的损害。法院还承认，如果后来法官判定该提案的提交程序存在问题，即使选民投票通过了该提案，该提案也可能被宣布无效。
In its Tuesday ruling, the Supreme Court temporarily prohibited the county from rejecting the initiative on the basis of the missed deadline. The order notes that Butte-Silver Bow County did not oppose the organizers’ request for the injunction. The justices concluded that excluding the initiative from the November ballot while the organizers’ appeal proceeds could irreparably harm voters’ constitutional rights. The court also acknowledged that the initiative might ultimately be invalidated, even if voters approve it, should the justices later determine it was improperly placed on the ballot.
埃文·巴雷特（Evan Barrett）是“406 People First”组织的成员，他参与了这份请愿书的起草工作。他承认确实存在这种可能性（即选举结果可能被宣布无效），但他表示，如果允许选举继续进行并让选民对这项提案进行投票，那么选民仍有机会考虑这项提案的内容。
Evan Barrett, a member of 406 People First who helped prepare the petition, acknowledged that possibility, but said allowing the election to proceed with the initiative on the ballot would preserve voters’ opportunity to consider the measure.
“如果我们的论据不够充分，法院判定‘这次选举无效’，那是有可能的，”巴雷特说。“但如果不举行选举，就无法做出任何决定。”这项禁令将持续有效，直到最高法院对上诉作出裁决。
“If the merits of our case are not good enough and the court says, ‘this election doesn’t count,’ that’s possible,” Barrett said. “But it’s impossible to make the choice without the election.”The injunction will remain in effect until the Supreme Court resolves the appeal.
针对布特-银弓县（Butte-Silver Bow County）在周三提交的文件，最高法院要求提案组织者必须在周四中午之前对该县提出的方案作出回应。法院表示，法官们会尽快作出裁决。
In response to Butte-Silver Bow’s Wednesday filing, the Supreme Court gave initiative organizers until noon on Thursday to respond to the county’s proposed options. The court has said the justices will issue a ruling as expeditiously as possible.
这篇报道最初由《蒙大拿自由报》（Montana Free Press）发布，并通过与美联社（The Associated Press）的合作进行了传播。
This story was originally published by Montana Free Press and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.