Know the Consequences: No on CI-121:

Defeating a harmful tax reform ballot measure

Overview

Campaign Management

Strategic Communications

Website Management

Know the Consequences: No on CI-121 was an opposition campaign formed in response to CI-121, a citizen-led ballot initiative aimed to cap property taxes for homeowners in Montana. While the intent of CI-121 was to reduce tax burdens on homeowners’, the impacts of such a policy would have had crippling effects on Montana’s economy for years to come.

The Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) and Montana Association of REALTORS (MAR) anchored a coalition of organizations against CI-121 and retained Pac/West Strategies and its signature collection expert, Black Diamond Outreach (BDO), for oversight and implementation of the opposition campaign.

Our Work

Pac/West Strategies worked with stakeholders to incorporate ideas and align objectives to inform the development of the opposition campaign, which was coined Know the Consequences: No on CI-121. The coalition, led by Pac/West Strategies, moved quickly to erect campaign infrastructure and establish the campaign’s Executive and Steering Committees. Pac/West Strategies then deployed an action plan to prevent CI-121 from qualifying for the ballot, known as Phase 1: Decline to Sign, which consisted of:

Developing necessary communications tools, including a website and social media
Deploying robust multi-channel outreach campaign to Montanans about the dangers of CI-121
Tracking opposition activities towards qualifying CI-121 for the ballot
Forecasting strategy for potential Phase 2: Fall Campaign, if necessary

The success of the Phase 1 action plan was palpable. The coalition to oppose CI-121 grew, and public sentiment against the proposed measure followed suit. Deterred by the tremendous wave of public opposition, CI-121 proponents opted not to mobilize paid circulators. Their website and social media presence dropped off throughout the spring, and the signature collection deadline came and went without incident.

The Know the Consequences campaign declared victory in June prior to the November election, and CI-121 proponent Matthew Monforton admitted defeat shortly thereafter. By keeping CI-121 from qualifying for the ballot, Pac/West Strategies delivered a win ahead of schedule and saved the Know the Consequences Coalition hundreds of thousands in potential spending on a fall voter outreach campaign.

“Pac/West Strategies coordinated the most diverse Montana ballot issue campaign coalition in recent memory with careful thought and expertise. We selected Pac/West based on their background in keeping measures off the ballot and effectively coordinating coalitions of groups. Pac/West delivered on both ¬— in a big way. The Pac/West team went above and beyond to prove that they were the right choice to manage our campaign. They seamlessly coordinated all aspects of our fight — from social media and digital ads to radio spots, media relations and campaign planning and budgeting. We needed a team of pros — and they were just that.”

Erik BurkeExecutive Director, Montana Federation of Public Employees

“From day one, Pac/West Strategies was professional, efficient, and aggressive in ensuring success for our campaign. They helped us engage organizations from across Montana to be part of the coalition against CI-121. They successfully developed and implemented a successful multi-faceted Decline to Sign campaign. This was no small feat considering the wide political spectrum of the coalition members, but the Pac/West Strategies team remained neutral leaders that everyone could trust.”

Sam SillGovernment Affairs Director, Montana Association of REALTORS

Front and back side of rack card

Social media post for CI-121 voter outreach

Digital advertisement