Voting Rights Advocates Sue Montana Over Voter Suppression Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forward Montana, an elected county attorney and a group of local Montana lawyers sued the state on Wednesday over a recently-passed law that bans voter registration and education activities on public college campuses and requires judges to recuse themselves from cases if a party or attorney before them donated to their campaign.
Senate Bill 319 was signed into law in May, after amendments targeting voter registration and campaign contributions were added at the 11th hour followed by a 16-minute hearing that was closed to the public. The complaint alleges that S.B. 319 violates the First Amendment and the Montana Constitution, which requires that a bill “shall contain only one subject” and prohibits drastic amendments during the legislative process that alter the original purpose of the bill.