Montana Judge Knocks Down Republicans’ Tighter Voting Laws

A Montana judge struck down three Republican-sponsored laws that restricted voting in the state, ruling that the laws were unconstitutional and saying that there was no evidence of the widespread voter fraud the laws were ostensibly targeting. The laws ended same-day voter registration, imposed new identification requirements on students, and restricted third-party ballot collections. Jaqueline De León, a representative of the Blackfeet Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Fort Belknap Indian Community, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe says that if the laws are allowed to stand, they would directly impede the ability of many Native Americans to vote. A spokesperson for the Republican secretary of state declined to say Monday if she planned to appeal the judge’s ruling to the Supreme Court, but emphasized that the Montana Republican Party is “not going to let down the fight.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Visit the Associated Press to learn more