Youth political organizers are suing the state over two new voting laws enacted this year.
Forward Montana and the Montana Public Interest Research Group say the new voting regulations unduly burden young voters. The groups have successfully challenged similar legislation in recent years.
The newest laws move up the deadline for same-day voter registration by eight hours. They also tighten voter ID requirements. The measures are pared-down versions of bills passed in 2021 that eliminated same-day voter registration and restricted acceptable types of voter ID.
In a statement, the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Upper Seven Law, cited the Montana Supreme Court’s ruling striking down those laws. The court wrote that the unimpaired right to vote is a bulwark for "other basic civil and political rights."
The state’s largest public employee union, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, previously filed a separate lawsuit against the state over the new laws.
The Montana secretary of state’s office is defending the regulations, saying they "create safe, secure, accessible, and transparent elections for every Montanan."
Some Montana Public Radio employees are members of MFPE, but we cover them like we do any other organization.
