Legislator Urges Missoulians to Vote in Tuesday’s Election

Missoula attorney Kimberly Dudik has been a guest on Talk Back several times, not just as a state legislator, but as a former candidate for Attorney General.

Dudik spoke to KGVO on Monday, urging Missoula residents to vote on Election Day.

“Election Day is extremely important,” said Dudik. “We have it as a federal holiday so that people can get time off of work hopefully to go vote. It's extremely easy right now to vote. In Missoula County, there are a drive through places to drop off your ballot, and it is the one chance that we have as regular citizens, to let our voice be heard and really stand up for what we believe in. It's what our country was founded on, and it is essential that people really get out to vote this year.”

Dudik said voters need to hold their candidates and their elected officials responsible for their decisions and their votes.

“I think that what we really need to see and what we need to demand from our elected officials from the top down is to do better,” she said. “And that we when we see things that we think are wrong, we call it out and we do so in a way that's respectful, but we don't let people get away with things whether it's bullying or hate speech or anything else like that. We can't just let close our eyes and hope that it goes away but it's really upon all of us to do something better for our entire state and nation.”

Dudik also joined the chorus of voices calling for a peaceful and respectful transition once the election is over.

“I would encourage people once the election is over, to bring our country together again and get past some of the hate and division,” she said. “That's really been a problem over the past year if not longer. We really need to find a way back together to make our country stronger, and I just hope that everyone finds a way to do that and look past the differences we have and to focus on what really unites us.”

Dudik lost the Democratic primary election for Attorney General to Governor Steve Bullock’s Chief Counsel Raph Graybill.