By AMY BETH HANSON

Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana officials may never know who bankrolled the effort to qualify the Green Party for the 2018 ballot.

That's because state laws don't address anonymous groups paying signature-gatherers to qualify minority parties for the ballot.

The Green Party fielded candidates in the June primary after a political consulting company gathered thousands of signatures to qualify the party for the ballot.

However, the Green Party said it didn't hire Advanced Micro Targeting to do the work. The state's campaign regulator says no law requires AMT to report who did hire them.

Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan ordered the Montana Green Party to report the spending as a donation. Party coordinator Danielle Breck says she doesn't know who paid for the effort.

University of Montana law professor Anthony Johnston says the Legislature will have to address the loophole.

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