MARK H NICHOLSON
Active candidates for Senate District 24
Republican
Democrat
ON THE ISSUES
Answers here were solicited from legislative candidates via a written questionnaire in April 2024, conducted in collaboration between MTFP and the Montana League of Women Voters. Responses here are presented exactly as submitted, without fact-checking or editing for minor punctuation or spelling errors. Readers can access the league's Vote411 resource here.
Legislative candidates who haven't submitted answers to these questions can do so at any time by contacting montanalwv@gmail.com or calling 406-233-9015.
I was born in Glendive, Montana in 1954, 70 years ago. I am a graduate of Helena Senior High School (1972), Carroll College (BA, English, 1976) and the University of Washington School of Medicine (MD, 1985). Laura R. Nicholson MD MPH and I have been married since 1985 and we have raised three children, one being a foster child with multiple disabilities. We moved to Billings in 2004. I am a retired physician (family practice and psychiatry.)
I want to bring my real world experience as a physician to the legislature to help find real world solutions about healthcare problems.
Medicaid expansion is Montana’s most pressing issue. It provides hard-working, low-paid Montanans access to general medical care and, significantly, care for mental illness and substance abuse when they need it.
Medicaid expansion is keeping urban hospitals and clinics financially healthy and rural critical access hospitals alive.
It supports about 7,500 jobs and generates about $475 million in personal income and $700 million in economic activity.
Finally, between budget savings and increased tax receipts, Medicaid expansion pays for the state’s investment.
Continuing Medicaid expansion is the right thing to do for Montana’s people, healthcare infrastructure, economy and state budget.
The Montana legislature needs to decrease the residential property tax rate from 1.35 to 0.94 percent which the Department of Revenue advised in November 2022 and the Republican legislature and Republican governor ignored.
The Republicans’ inaction continued a trend of shifting tax responsibilities away from industrial properties, which corporations use to generate income, onto residential properties where people raise their families. This time, the residential share of total property taxes increased 5 percent and the industrial share decreased 5 percent.
Montana needs to go back to asking corporations to pay their fair share.
After reauthorizing Medicaid expansion, the best thing the Montana legislature could do to advance healthcare, including mental healthcare, is to ask the governor to appoint a competent director for the Department of Pubic Health and Human Services.
DPHHS is embarrassingly behind in paying for services. At the end of March 2024, RiverStone Health was down $2.2 million from its anticipated Medicaid revenue.
DPHHS has dropped nursing home residents, individuals in assisted living, disabled people and children from Medicaid not because they were ineligible but because they could not navigate the arcane and disorganized reapplication process.
DPHHS needs a new director.
I don’t pretend to understand the school funding formula nor how to explain how to improve it in 750 characters or less but here are some things.
Because schools are so important in so many ways, I believe that it is fair to ask taxpayers to support a good school system. I do not think it is fair to ask taxpayers to pay for private schools on top of that. I oppose using tax money to support private schools.
Industrial properties are hard to evaluate and there is a cap on how much their taxes can increase. Residential properties are easy to evaluate and have no cap on increases. We need to look at caps and we need better ways to evaluate industrial property values.
We need to look at how we tax multi-million dollar vacation properties.
MTFP COVERAGE
Election outcomes
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| MARK H NICHOLSON | 1,271 |
Common voting questions
When are Montana’s 2024 elections?
Voters will pick which candidates advance to the November general election in the June primary, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4. Voters will pick the candidates who will ultimately fill each office on the ballot in the November election, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Who runs Montana’s elections?
Montana elections are administered at the county level. The process is overseen by county clerks and election administrators, who help to train and monitor the volunteer election judges that staff the polls. Ballots are typically processed and counted at central county locations, with the results reported to the Montana secretary of state’s office via a statewide software system called ElectMT.
Once polls close, the secretary of state’s office provides results through its website. The state-level office also provides guidance to local election administrators to ensure compliance with state election laws. Additionally, enforcing compliance with some laws governing political campaigns, particularly those involving campaign finance, falls to a separate office known as the Commissioner of Political Practices.
Do I need to be registered in order to vote?
Yes. If you’re unsure about your registration status, you can check it through the Montana secretary of state's My Voter Page. You can register to vote by stopping by your county election office any time during regular business hours to pick up an application. After you’ve filled it out, you’ll need to get it back to your county election office by mail or in person (the latter option is strongly recommended close to Election Day to ensure your application is received in time). If you do present your application in person, you’ll have to provide a photo ID or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you happen to be applying for a Montana driver’s license or identification card before the election, you can register to vote at the same time.
Can I register to vote on Election Day?
Yes. The state Legislature has sought to enact an earlier registration deadline, but under a March 2024 ruling by the Montana Supreme Court, same-day voter registration remains legal in Montana. Residents can register to vote or update their voter registration at their county’s election office prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Does Montana have voter ID requirements?
Yes, you will be required to present identification when voting at the polls. However, under the Montana Supreme Court’s March ruling, changes made to those requirements by the 2021 Legislature remain blocked. The current forms of identification voters can use at the polls are a current Montana driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, tribal or military photo ID, a U.S. passport or a student ID. If you don’t have a photo ID, you can use a utility bill, a bank statement, a voter confirmation card or any other government document that shows your name and address.
Are there situations where I wouldn't be eligible to vote?
According to state law, you can't vote if you'll be under age 18 on Election Day, are not a U.S. citizen, or have lived in Montana less than 30 days. Convicted felons who are currently incarcerated in a penal facility and people whom judges have ruled to be of unsound mind are also ineligible to vote. Otherwise, you're good to go.
Can I vote online?
No, that’s not an option in Montana.
Can I vote by mail?
Yes, you can sign up as an absentee voter by checking a box on your voter registration form. If you’re already registered to vote, you can fill out a separate form and submit it to your county election office.
If you’re registered as an absentee voter, a ballot should be mailed to you a few weeks in advance of each election day. You can make sure your address is current via the My Voter page. County election officials are slated to mail ballots to voters for the June 2024 primary election May 10.
You can return ballots by mail, or drop them off in person at your county’s election office. Either way, the election office must receive your ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to count it.
How do I vote in person?
If you plan to vote at the polls, just be sure you know where your polling location is and head there between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day. You'll need to provide a photo ID and sign the precinct register, at which point you’ll get your ballot and be directed to a voting booth. If you have any technical questions or run into any problems, the election judges at your polling place should be able to help you.
I have a friend or family member who isn't able to drop off his or her mail-in ballot. Can I do it for them?
Yes, you can. The Montana Legislature did make some changes to ballot collection laws in 2021 related to paid ballot collection, those changes have also been blocked by the Montana Supreme Court.
Who should I vote for?
That’s your call, not ours. We hope the information we present on this guide is helpful as you make that decision for yourself, though.
About this project
This guide was produced by the Montana Free Press newsroom with production and web development by Eric Dietrich, editing by Brad Tyer and Nick Ehli and contributions from Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Mara Silvers, Alex Sakariassen, Amanda Eggert and Stephanie Farmer. Questionnaire responses for legislatiive candidates were collected with help from the Montana League of Women Voters, through the league's Vote 411 program. Contact Eric Dietrich with questions, corrections or suggestions at edietrich@montanafreepress.org.
Montana Free Press is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reader-supported news organization serving Montana. MTFP's donor base includes supporters from across Montana's political spectrum, including some Montanans who are candidates in this year's election. MTFP's major donors are listed here and a current list of other supporters is available here. MTFP's news judgments are made entirely independently from donor involvement.
This material is available for republication by other media outlets under Montana Free Press' standard distribution terms.