Montana Attorney General Opinion 16-272

Opinion No. 272. Elections-Precinct Committeemen- Women-State Convention. HELD: The term "committeemen" clearly includes women duly elected, and duly elected women precinct com- mitteemen are eligible to vote for delegates to t.he state convention to be held under the provisions of Chap- ter 126, Laws of 1927. May 5, 1936. Mr. Paul J. Murphy Deputy County Attorney Great Falls, Montana You ask upon behalf of the Demo- cratic Central Committee of your county, for an opinion interpreting Section 4 of Chapter 126 of the Laws of 1927. The question involved is whether or not the word "committee- man" in that section would include. "committeewoman" and whether pre- cinct committeewomen are eligible to vote for delegates to the state con- vention. The same reasoning would govern this question as is set forth in Opin- ion No. 553, of this office (Volume 15, Opinions of the Attorney General, p. 383.) The statute referred to, en- acted in 1927, provides in part: "No person other than a duly elected or appointed precinct committeeman shall be entitled to sit in said conven- tion or participate in its proceedings." Chapter 6 of the Laws of Montana, 1933, a subsequent statute amending Section 662, R. C. M. 1921, provides: "There shall be elected by each politi- cal party, subject to the provisions of this law, at said primary nominat- ing election, two committeemen, one of which shall be a man and one of which shall be a woman, for each election precinct who shall be resi- dents of such precincts." It is to be observed that by the ex- press terms of this statute the woman who is elected as a precinct commit- teeman is designated as a committee- man as in the case with the man who is to be elected. The term "commit- teemen" clearly includes the woman so elected, as well as the men: there- fore, these women duly elected are members of the County Central Com- OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 287 mittee, and duly qualified to vote at such convention.