Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, has signed into law two election integrity bills—one that tightens voter ID requirements and the other eliminating Election Day registration—prompting Democrats to sue, claiming “voter suppression.”
House Bill 176 moves the deadline for late voter registration to noon on the day before Election Day, while Senate Bill 169 restricts acceptable IDs to use for voting, requiring some voters to present two forms of identification before casting a ballot.
“Montana has a long history of secure, transparent elections, setting a standard for the nation,” Gianforte said in a Monday tweet. “These new laws establish new best practices to ensure the continued integrity of Montana’s elections for years to come.”
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen said in a tweet: “Montana sets the standard for elections across the country, however, there is always room for improvement, and voter ID and voter registration deadlines are best practices in protecting the integrity of elections.”