The Montana Secretary of State is moving forward with an appeal to the state’s high court, asking that four voting laws passed in 2021 be allowed to stand.
The laws – which eliminate same day voter registration, restrict acceptable types of voter ID, restrict who can get an absentee ballot and regulate ballot collection efforts – were struck down last year in Yellowstone County District Court as unconstitutionally burdensome for voters.
The Secretary of State’s office argues in its appeal to the Montana Supreme Court that the district court erred in its decision and that bills fall within the Legislature's authority as the sole regulator of elections in the state.
The Montana Democratic Party, Western Native Voice and Montana Youth Action originally sued over the laws, and will now file a response to the appeal.