Thread by @DemocracyDocket

🚨BREAKING: Montana judge STRIKES DOWN 3 voter suppression laws that ban Election Day registration, limit ballot collection and increase restrictions on acceptable photo ID to vote, ruling that they violate the Montana Constitution. More info to come. democracydocket.com/cases/montana-…

Learn more about the 3 laws challenged in this lawsuit here. democracydocket.com/analysis/prote…

Here's what the judge said about the laws.🧵

#SB169 restricted the use of student IDs to vote: "It is no accident that the Legislature passed SB 169 just months after MT’s youngest voters turned out to vote at record rates. MT’s legislators passed the bill to prevent some young Montanans from exercising their right to vote"

"The 'interests' the Secretary and the Legislature had in the implementation of SB 169 include an interest in addressing voter fraud. There have been no instances of voter fraud concerning the use of student IDs in Montana."

#HB176 eliminated Election Day registration: "By eliminating EDR, HB 176 severely burdens the right to vote of Montana voters, particularly Native American voters, students, the elderly, and voters with disabilities."

"HB 176 also does not combat voter fraud. EDR has not been implicated in a single instance of voter fraud in Montana...Because HB 176 burdens the right to vote and does not further a compelling state interest through the least onerous path, it is unconstitutional"

#HB530 restricted ballot collection efforts: "HB 530, § 2 is a solution in search of a problem. It furthers no legitimate, let alone compelling, state interest, and constitutes a disproportionate, severe, and unconstitutional burden on Plaintiffs’ constitutional right to vote."

"the Secretary cannot justify...ballot collection restrictions under any standard because she has failed to provide any evidence that MT has a problem of voter fraud or voter confidence related to ballot collection, or that HB 530, § 2 would improve those purported problems."

"There is no evidence of any voter fraud in Montana associated with EDR, student IDs, or third-party ballot assistance, and not even the Secretary’s own witnesses
believe voter fraud is a problem in Montana."

Read the full order here: democracydocket.com/wp-content/upl…