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A recent letter suggested that new voting laws in Montana come from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group of which I am a member. This assertion is incorrect, and I'd like to explain the actual focus of the organization.

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a nonprofit membership organization that brings together state legislators, policy analysts and members of the business community to share ideas and create draft model solutions to issues facing the states. ALEC members are guided by the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism, and the issues ALEC members work on and the model policies they create are all on the ALEC website for anyone to see.

Only ALEC legislative members can introduce draft model policy, and after the discussions are had and the votes are taken, only the 23-member ALEC Board of Legislators can approve what model policy the organization adopts. ALEC is guided by legislators, just as members are guided by the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism.

Nowhere on the website will you find any model policy or research relating to voting rights.