It’s easy to think that your vote doesn’t matter in a state like Montana.

Each of these polls are from Real Clear Politics.

Trump is leading by 17.4.

Sheehy is beating Tester by 8. Put a fork in the flattop, he’s done.

Gianforte has a comfortable 22 point lead over gun controller Busse. The Democrats couldn’t really have thought that someone from the Giffords organization had a snowball’s chance.

Downing is up by 21.

Zinke has the toughest race on his hands, but he’s up by 6 on the socialist.

With all of that good news, it would be easy to conclude that your vote doesn’t matter since Montana is going to go solidly red. But you still need to go to the polls if you want to protect gun rights.

First, your local races have a bigger effect on your personal life than the national races. Make sure your sheriff, county commissioners, county and city attorneys, and even the local dog catcher are strong supporters of the Second Amendment.

Second, we have two critical supreme court judicial races. There’s a clear choice in each of them: Cory Swanson and Dan Wilson.

Third, we have Constitutional Initiatives on the ballot. As a gun owner, you should vote against all three. With 126 and 127, we could easily end up with Montana turning blue. Parties wouldn’t be able to control who runs under their label, which means you’d have Democrats (who never seem to mention their affiliation when they’re running) calling themselves Republicans. As for 128, do we really want a constitution that guarantees a right to late term abortion, but not concealed carry?

But here’s the big reason to vote even if you think your vote doesn’t matter: Trump needs to win the popular vote to make his victory legitimate. People that aren’t in swing states tend not to vote since the outcome seems predetermined. But every vote counts, no matter where you live, for the national popularity contest. There’s going to be plenty of controversy with this election. So get out and make sure it’s a red wave beyond the electoral college. The nation is depending upon you.