13-36-209. Forfeiture of nomination or office for violation of law -- when inappropriate. - Montana Statutes

     13-36-209. Forfeiture of nomination or office for violation of law -- when inappropriate. Upon the trial of any action or proceeding under the provisions of this title to contest the right of any person to be declared nominated or elected to any office or to annul or set aside a nomination or election or to remove a person from office, the nomination or election of the candidate is not by reason of the offense or omission complained of void and the candidate may not be removed from or deprived of office if under the circumstances it seems to the court to be unjust that the candidate forfeit a nomination or office or be deprived of any office of which the candidate is the incumbent. The decision of the court must be based upon the following:
     (1) it appears from the evidence that the offense complained of was not committed by the candidate or with the candidate's knowledge or consent or was committed without the candidate's sanction or connivance and that all reasonable means for preventing the commission of the offense at the election were taken by and on behalf of the candidate;
     (2) the offense or offenses complained of were trivial, unimportant, and limited in character and in all other respects the candidate's participation in the election was free from offenses or illegal acts; or
     (3) any act or omission of the candidate arose from inadvertence or from accidental miscalculation or from some other reasonable cause of a like nature and in any case did not arise from any lack of good faith.

     History: En. Sec. 38, Init. Act, Nov. 1912; re-en. Sec. 10803, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 10803, R.C.M. 1935; Sec. 94-1457, R.C.M. 1947; redes. 23-4757 by Sec. 29, Ch. 513, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 55, Ch. 365, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 23-4757; amd. Sec. 113, Ch. 56, L. 2009.