Montana Supreme Court declares 2021 voting laws unconstitutional

In a highly anticipated ruling last week, the Montana Supreme Court affirmed a lower court's finding that four laws passed by the 2021 Legislature violate the fundamental rights of voters outlined in the Montana Constitution.

The court's 125-page opinion closes out an appeal filed in November 2022 by Republican Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen seeking the reinstatement of laws struck down by a district court judge in Billings. Those laws ended same-day voter registration, enacted new vote identification requirements, prohibited paid third-party ballot collection and barred county election o...