Montana Supreme Court Overturns State Voting Reform Laws

Voters casting ballots
by Ben Whedon

 

Following the 2020 presidential election, which faced allegations of mass voter fraud from former President Donald Trump and his supporters, many states moved to restricting mail-in or absentee voting practices.

The Montana Supreme Court struck down multiple voting reform laws on Wednesday, declaring them unconstitutional.

The state imposed the reforms in 2021, limiting voter registration by imposing a requirement that voters register by noon the day before an election, according to The Hill. The state also banned 17-year-olds from receiving and using an absentee ballot, even if they will be of voting age by the election itself.

Another declared student IDs unacceptable for in-person voting while yet another required the secretary of state to work to prevent the paid collection of absentee ballots. All four laws were declared unconstitutional by a lower court in 2022.

“State and county election officials have been punched in the gut. Well-funded groups deceived the court and the media in a sad way,” the Montana secretary of state’s office said in a statement.

Following the 2020 presidential election, which faced allegations of mass voter fraud from former President Donald Trump and his supporters, many states moved to restricting mail-in or absentee voting practices.

Republicans and watchdog groups have maintained their efforts to tighten voting security in subsequent years. Wisconsin GOP Rep. Bryan Steil, for instance, introduced the Uniform State ACE Act in January to provide “states with thirteen election integrity measures to increase voters’ confidence and promote election integrity.”

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Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.
Photo “Voters Casting Ballots” by Phil Roeder.

 

 


Reprinted with permission from Just the News.

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